Ten Months in Tokyo
by DoctorGarcia
Summary: AU A year after Ranma arrives in Nerima, three American students join the Tendo household. Can the Nerima Wrecking Crew make a good impression? Chapter Six: Little Secrets. It was bound to happen eventually!  Please Read and Review! Thanks!
1. Takeoffs and Landings

Ten Months in Tokyo

a project by

Dr. Garcia

**Disclaimer: Ranma ½, its characters, locations and mythology are property of Rumiko Takahashi and/or Viz Media. The author of this work acknowledges this, and hereby vows to treat the original subject matter with the utmost respect. All characters based on real, living people are done so out of love and thanks for all of the amazing people who made this project, and much of my life, possible. Thank you all. Everyone else, I made up. Thanks to anyone who read the original version, and thanks to anyone reading this now. I hope I don't disappoint.**

**Chapter One**

The rain fell steadily on the streets of Boston, Massachusetts, much to the chagrin of the young, red-headed woman behind the wheel of the champagne colored Ford Taurus pulling into the city proper. How she had been conned into making this trip in the first place was a mystery, even to her. After all, she wasn't the one about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

That honor belonged to her three passengers. Those lucky bastards, she would call them. The three of them had, somehow, been selected from the pool of over a hundred candidates, herself included, who had applied for the foreign exchange program. This year, the students would be spending the school year in Tokyo, Japan. It really wasn't fair.

"Something wrong, Lynn?" This had come from the young man to her right, who she cast an icy glare at in response. Mike had seen that look plenty of times before, and knew what it meant. He merely laughed a little, pulling the brim of his ratty red ball cap up just slightly as he turned to face the guys in the back seat.

Lynn had spent the days since the committee had made their announcement trying to figure out how, out of all the possibilities, these three were chosen. None of them were exceptional students. They only had two extracurricular activities between the three of them (Alex played saxophone in the school band and Don was an also-ran on the wrestling team.) They hadn't won any awards or commendations of any kind… they were basically slackers. And yet somehow, the exchange committee had determined that Mike, Don and Alex "best represented the ideals that Merrimack High School was founded upon." So, her three friends would be spending the next ten months in a city she had dreamed of seeing since she was a little girl. It really wasn't fair.

"Lynn, look out!" Don's voice pierced through her thoughts, causing her to look up just in time to see the brake lights of the taxi stopped in the road ahead of them. She slammed on the brakes, causing the guys to grab for whatever they could get their hands on to steady themselves. Lynn felt Alex, who was seated behind her, bump into the back of her seat.

Alex sat back, brushing the dark, shaggy hair out of his face. "What the Hell is going on? Can't a guy sleep in peace?"

Mike laughed again and turned to face Lynn. "Yeah, you should be more careful! You wouldn't want to kill us before our big trip, would you?"

Lynn rolled her eyes, going around the taxi. "Wouldn't I?"

Don leaned forward between the front seats; Alex had already settled back into his nap. "No need to be jealous, Lynn. We all thought for sure that you were going to get picked to go on this trip. We're as shocked as you are… but hey, there's always next year, right?"

Lynn gripped the steering wheel more tightly, her tone just short of menacing. "No. This was the only year it would work for me. I'm trying hard to get into a good culinary school after we graduate, and all the good cooking classes I need are only open to Juniors and Seniors…"

"Oh… sucks to be ambitious." Don leaned back quickly to avoid physical retaliation from Lynn. She wasn't a very big girl, but she could put the hurt on any one of them if she really wanted to, and had done so on many occasions previously.

Lynn pulled the car in toward Logan Airport. The rain seemed like it was starting to finally let up. She sighed. "Look… I might be more than just a little jealous that you guys are getting to go. I mean, this is an incredible opportunity! I just hope that while you're there, you don't forget just how fortunate you guys really are, and that no matter what, you should make the most of your time. After all…" she pulled the car to a stop in front of the terminal, "… it wouldn't be fair to those of us left behind if you didn't… right?"

Don shook Alex back awake, the latter boy making grumpy noises as he was roused. Mike gave another laugh at his friend and then turned to Lynn with a grin. "Don't worry… we'll all live it up one and a third times harder for you."

The four of them exited the vehicle, and the guys got their luggage from the trunk. Alex rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "Lynn, thanks for the ride. Take care of our brothers while we're gone, okay?"

Lynn grimaced a bit in response to this. "Ugh… I'll try to keep them in line." She then smiled a bit and gave each of them a hug. "You lucky bastards, I'm really going to miss you guys. If you don't write letters and send half a million pictures, I'm coming out there to deal with you… got it?"

Don saluted her with a smirk. "Yes, sir!" This earned him a punch in the arm from Lynn, which caused him to burst out laughing. After one last round of goodbyes, the guys hurried inside to catch their flight, leaving Lynn out under the falling rain. Staring up at the still-dawning sky, she sighed.

"I hope those poor Japanese people are ready for those three..."

Tatewaki Kuno, aged 18, wiped away a bead of sweat from the bridge of his nose as he stared across the athletic field at his opponent. His nemesis. Ranma Saotome. He was an imbecile, he was boorish, and he knew nothing of honor. Ranma, that blackguard, not only held captive the hearts of Akane Tendo _and _the pigtailed girl, but also had, thus far, foiled all of Kuno's attempts to free the lovely girls from his vile clutches.

And now, once again, they stood face-to-face on the field of combat. This time, however, the prize was not the love of a beautiful woman. This time, it was a secret prize to be issued by Kuno's father, the principal of Furinkan High School. As he tightened his grip around the handle of his bokken, Tatewaki Kuno swore that his forthcoming victory would be a mere stepping stone on his path to the liberation of his two true loves.

"Ranma Saotome!" he cried out, pointing his weapon toward the other boy menacingly. "Today, I swear it, you shall fall under the might of the Crashing Typhoon of Furinkan High, Tatewaki Kuno!"

Ranma groaned loudly. "More like Crowing Buffoon…" he mumbled, clenching his fists. "Jackass, like I haven't heard most of _that _before…" Kuno had been the first enemy Ranma ever made in Nerima. However, it was pretty widely known around school that compared to Ranma, Kuno was an absolute joke. Of the over one hundred fair fights they'd gotten into, Kuno hadn't won a single one. Despite being the captain of the school's kendo club, Kuno tended to get awfully sloppy in his bouts against Ranma. The fact that he was an insufferable blowhard motivated Ranma to want to beat him down almost as much as just wanting to win did. Ranma checked his shoes and moved into his attacking stance. "Why don't you just shut up and fight me?"

Kuno narrowed his eyes and reared back his bokken. "Very well, if that is your last request…" With a roar, he charged at Ranma, weapon at the ready, as he'd done over a hundred times before. Ranma counter-charged with a look of disbelief. Did Kuno really think he could win using the same, tired technique?

The boys converged on one another for merely an instant. To the untrained eye, it seemed that not a single blow was struck. The eyes of Akane Tendo, however, saw eleven hits in the exchange. Nine of them were a series of lightning quick kicks that Ranma struck as he used the momentum of his run to practically run right up the front of Kuno's body. One was the upward slash of Kuno's bokken, striking Ranma flush on the back. The eleventh was Kuno, after a slight wobble, falling to the grass face-first. Akane half-smiled. She didn't much like Ranma beating up on Kuno, even if he did deserve it most of the time. However, this time was a bit different. She was quite excited to find out what it was that Ranma had won. After all, since her father was kind enough to let Ranma and his father stay at their home for free, it was only fair that he share his prize with the family.

Ranma grimaced in pain. Kuno had shocked him this time by actually managing to score a hit. However, he didn't want the other students to know he was hurt, so he gritted his teeth and toughed it out until the ceremony was over, when he could go see Dr. Tofu.

Principal Kuno came toward him carrying a small envelope. Ranma grinned – money came in small envelopes, and he could certainly use some of that. The principal came to a stop atop the fallen Kuno's back, grinning that idiot grin of his.

"Ranma, me keiki, I know we two be havin' our troubles in da past, but dis time I was hopin' ya'd be da winnah." The grin persisted as he held out the envelope.

Ranma took the envelope hesitantly, raising an eyebrow. Was this guy actually happy for him? "Uh… thanks?"

"Dis be a most special prize, ya? One of a kind. But don'tcha be openin' dat until ya get home, else da other students might be tryin' ta take it." Principal Kuno patted Ranma sharply on the back, causing the boy's eyes to water profusely.

"Y-yeah… thanks…" Ranma croaked, before making his way off the field and toward home.

"Hey, Ranma? Wait!" cried out Akane as she chased after him.

Ranma had managed to get a few blocks away before Akane managed to catch up to him. He was moving at a rather brisk pace and, Akane noted, was walking a bit stiffly. Finally, she strode up alongside him.

"Ranma, where are you going? School isn't over yet!"

Ranma grimaced, holding up the envelope. "I don't care. I got what I came for. Besides, what could we possibly learn on the first day? If it was that important, they wouldn't need all the other days after it, would they?"

Akane rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Ranma. You'll be sorry you have that kind of attitude come test day."

Ranma grinned at her cynically. "And what about you? Shouldn't _you _be in class? Or are you just one of those dateless, nerdy chicks that'll just study all night since the boys don't call?" His loud laughter at his own quip was short lived, as Akane uprooted a nearby road sign and struck him across the back with it, causing him to sprawl to the sidewalk with a loud, pained shout.

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right, you jerk! I saw Kuno hit you and I was worried, okay? But if you're going to be like that about it, you can just drop dead for all I care!" With that, she stormed back off toward the school, re-planting the slightly bent sign into the sidewalk as she did.

"Nerdy, and a brute, to boot…" Ranma groaned, over the sound of the cracking sidewalk.

After a patching up from Dr. Tofu, Ranma returned to find the Tendo household clamoring over just what he had won.

"Maybe he's won passes for a pleasure cruise!" conjectured Kasumi as she stirred a bowl of batter for victory brownies. "That would be lovely and relaxing!"

Genma and Soun grinned at one another. "Perhaps he's acquired certificates for a fancy restaurant, eh Saotome?" Soun could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of delicious food for the whole household, and without a cent taken from his pocket.

Genma nodded, salivating. "Yes, indeed! A large, delicious and high class meal would be a mighty fine prize!"

Akane laughed quietly at her father and Genma, turning to her other sister. "What do you think, Nabiki?"

Nabiki smiled slyly toward the envelope. "What do you mean? Of course it's money. It's not thick enough to be a huge wad of cash, though… maybe a check." She turned to Ranma, grinning now. "The suspense is killing me, Saotome. Open that baby up and show me the sweet, sweet money!"

Ranma quirked an eyebrow. "I don't know what you guys are all excited about… it's my prize…" He tore open the envelope, producing a folded sheet of letter paper. As he read it, his raised eyebrow began to twitch. "Wh… what!"

"What is it, son?" Genma asked, as everyone leaned in around Ranma. He didn't respond, however, prompting Nabiki to quickly snatch the letter away from the stunned boy. She began to read it aloud.

"Dear family," she began, dryly, "You have been selected for the honor of housing this year's exchange students…"

Soun and Akane responded with an exasperated "What?" Genma grumbled about having to share meals with even more people. Kasumi seemed almost delighted at the idea of having more houseguests to entertain. Ranma sat in stunned silence at his prize. Nabiki read on.

"This year's students are from the United States. They will be arriving at Nerima Bus Station today at... 5 PM?" She blinked. "That's only an hour from now. We don't have a lot of time to prepare, here."

Soun rose quickly, looking quite furious. "We will do no such thing! There are too many people here as it is, not to mention how much it will cost to keep these others fed…"

"Uh, daddy?" Nabiki interjected, "The exchange committee covers the costs… and we could always, you know, skim a little off the top for ourselves."

"Nabiki! How could you even consider swindling people like that?" Kasumi asked sternly – stern by Kasumi standards, anyway. The eldest Tendo daughter then turned to her father, finger shaking admonishingly. "And daddy, there's no way you could even think to abandon these poor young people. We may not have asked for this, but it isn't their fault, either. It is our duty to take care of them."

Soun frowned in regret and sat down once again. "Kasumi is right… it is the duty of a martial artist to be prepared for any situation…" He hmmed a bit, before pointing to Ranma. "Ranma! This is your prize, so I leave these students in your capable hands!"

Ranma blinked, snapping out of his daze. "Now wait a minute…"

"He's right, boy…" came Genma, "… you brought this upon us, so it should be your responsibility to see it through. Think of this as part of your training."

Akane sighed a bit. "Maybe it'll be nice to have some new faces around…"

At this, Ranma suddenly perked up. "Yeah, maybe. Maybe we'll have some _cute _girls our age around here for a change." He ducked away just in time to avoid a saucer Akane threw like a Frisbee toward his face. When he sat up to make a face at her, Nabiki grabbed his arm.

"We don't have much time, Ranma. I'll go with you, okay?"

Ranma gave her a suspicious look. "Why are you so interested all of a sudden?"

She smirked in response. "Easy! If one of them is loaded, I want first dibs!"

Ranma and Nabiki moved along the Neriman sidewalks toward the bus station, both seeming increasingly more excited about their unexpected guests by the minute, though for different reasons.

"It would be nice to have some well-off Americans in the house…" Nabiki quipped, arms stretched up behind her head as she walked. "If they have plenty of spending money, I might just find a way to claim a small percentage of it. Maybe I'll charge them for tours of the sights around here…."

Ranma gave her an unbelieving look. "What makes you think that they're going to have any money at all, Nabiki? They're just high school students, after all…"

She grinned. "They might be broke, but would mommy and daddy let them come without at least a little pocket money? You know, for emergencies? Don't you remember last year's exchange students?"

Ranma blinked. "Oh yeah, Viktor and Heinrich, the Germans! I loved those guys, they were a great time… I wonder why they had to leave so soon…"

Nabiki laughed. "They were deported!"

"Yeah… they really knew how to party…"

"And they had all that chocolate company heir money. That's what I'm after. Of course, Rik and Vik were asking a little much for a cut of that cash…"

Ranma raised an eyebrow, but didn't press for more information on that subject. "And you think that these ones will be that loaded? What are the odds of that, Nabiki?"

She sighed and looked up at the sky. "A girl can dream, can't she?"

"She sure can, but she shouldn't get her hopes up too much. I just hope that they…" Ranma cut off in mid-thought as he ducked under a suddenly incoming cinder block. Nabiki gave a startled shout as she ducked for cover behind a nearby mailbox. Ranma glanced up quickly to see the face of his angry attacker: Ryoga Hibiki.

"Ranma! It took two weeks, but I've finally tracked you down! No one, especially you, can hide from me for long!" Ryoga looked especially determined today, but that didn't really worry Ranma. He stood up and looked the other boy right in the eyes.

"Hey, Ryoga! Two weeks, huh? That's gotta be some kind of Hibiki family record or something. Next time you decide to throw something as thick as your skull at me, though, try to be a little more careful of the innocent girls, okay?" Ranma looked over at Nabiki, who was leaning on the mailbox, still trying to compose herself. "Are you okay, Nabi-"

Ranma was cut off again by a sneering Ryoga. "Hiding behind a woman now, Ranma? How typically pitiful of you. If you're really so afraid of me, why don't you just come out and admit it?"

Ranma rolled his eyes and brushed past Ryoga. "I don't have time for this now… if you want to lose so badly, come and see me tomorrow and I'll put you through a wall or something. Come on, Nabiki…"

Ryoga turned and watched the two of them walking away. "Ha! I knew you were afraid! Why do you need to hide behind a woman anyway, Ranma? You could just put on a dress yourself and be one! You wouldn't have to worry about fighting then, your husband would protect you!" He laughed haughtily as Ranma stopped dead in his tracks.

"Sorry, Nabiki," he growled, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. "Your moneymaking venture is going to start a little later than expected." He turned on Ryoga menacingly. "Okay, bacon-breath, if you want a fight, you'll get more than you can handle from me!"

After stepping off of the bus, Mike, Alex and Don huddled up, as Mike removed a folded sheet of paper from his pocket. "Okay, according to this, someone is supposed to be picking us up here, so let's look around for someone with our names on a little sign or something." The three of them scanned the small terminal area, but they didn't see anyone who might be looking for them. They returned to their huddle.

"Maybe we're early." Alex suggested, "I mean, they wouldn't just not come and get us, right?"

Don nodded. "Exchange student host families have to pass all kinds of tests to get picked. I'm sure this Furinkan High principal guy made sure we were going to a well-qualified family."

"Yeah, it'd be a foreign relations debacle if we were mistreated. The president would probably send troops in to rescue us." Mike joked, looking at a nearby clock with a frown. "Well, we're right on time, God bless those efficient Japanese. Maybe they're waiting for us out front… let's have a look, okay?"

The three of them headed around to the front of the building to see a crowd of people gathered, staring at, pointing at and speaking excitedly about a strange sight – a pillar of water shooting straight up into the sky somewhere downtown.

"Wow, must be some kind of magic spell!" Alex exclaimed, excitedly. "Japan is already awesome!"

Don scoffed. "Dumbass! Someone probably just hit a fire hydrant with their car or something. Anyway, I don't see our people out here, either…"

Mike frowned again and shook his head. "Nope. Not a sign of them. Guess we're stuck here for the time being. Let's wait out here. We stand out a bit anyway, so maybe they'll see us before they go inside."

"Actually," interjected Don, "I'm kind of starving."

Mike blinked at him. "Didn't you eat on the plane?"

"That was a long time ago!" His friend protested. "Besides, I usually eat four times a day to get ready for wrestling. You know… carbo load."

"I'm sorta hungry, too…" Alex chimed in. "And they're late. So it's not our fault. They can wait while we go eat."

Mike sighed, "Fine, fine… I'll go in and tell the lady at the desk we're going and to tell our family we'll be back. Stay here!" He headed back inside. Alex looked over at Don.

"Hey, maybe our family got distracted by the magic trick and are over there right now."

Don sighed. "Dumbass! Hey… do you have any money?"

P-Chan squealed indignantly up at Ranma as drops of cold water from the ruptured hydrant continued to fall upon them. Ranma grinned a bit. "I know it was a dirty trick, but I told you, I don't have time to deal with you right now!" P-Chan growled and leaped at Ranma, who blocked him with her bare foot and pinned him to the ground. "We can settle this another time, but for now, why don't you run home to Akane? I'm sure she misses her widdle piggy…" Ranma punctuated her statement by punting the pig off in the direction of the Tendo home. P-Chan squealed a vow of revenge on his way out.

Ranma smirked, turning to Nabiki. "Come on, we're really running late now!"

"Uhh, Ranma. Aren't you forgetting something?" Nabiki asked, pointing at Ranma's chest. The soggy pigtailed girl slapped herself on the forehead with a groan, and Nabiki laughed. "Unless you want your secret to be out, it looks like we'll be paying a visit to the good doctor today. Looks like our American friends will be waiting just a little bit longer…"

Meanwhile, the Americans wandered along the street, looking for somewhere to satisfy their hunger, without getting too lost.

"What about that one?" Don asked, pointing to a café that appeared to specialize in ramen. "Neko Hanten."

Alex blinked at him. "Cat Café? No way. No cats."

"I'm sure they don't _serve _cat there, Alex…" Don grumbled. "I think…"

Mike laughed. "No, that's not it, Don. A few months ago, my brother's cat tried to kill him by knocking a stereo speaker on his head in his sleep," Alex leaned in and brushed his hair aside to show Don the scar on his forehead. "So for Alex, cats are not lucky creatures."

Don looked at his friends, dumbfounded. "Oh, that's pretty messed up. You guys are both pretty damn weird, you know?" He suddenly stopped, sniffed the air and started looking around. This caused his companions to stop as well, giving him a pair of puzzled looks.

"We're pretty damn weird?" Mike asked, "What the hell do you call this then?"

"Mm… no… do you smell that? It's like… mm… I dunno… but it smells great." Don started walking around slowly, sniffing every few steps.

Mike smirked. "You look like that killer cat when Alex is around. But yeah, I think I smell what you're talking about. Alex, you have any ideas?"

The two of them turned to look at Alex, who suddenly snapped out of his daze. "Sorry, did you guys say something? I was too busy smelling something good." Don's eye twitched slightly in irritation, before Alex turned and pointed at another nearby building. "There: Ucchan's." And without another word, he headed toward it. His companions looked at one another wordlessly for a moment, before quickly following him.

The jingling of a small bell announced the boys' arrival, rousing Ukyo Kuonji from the lull she'd entered from a distinct lack of business. Looking up, she greeted the three of them with a happy smile. "Hello, and welcome to Okonomiyaki Ucchan's! Why don't you guys have a seat up here?" she chirped, motioning to the stools at the front counter. Alex and Don hurried up to sit, while Mike stopped in the doorway to admire the cozy charm of the place. Ukyo smiled at the guys at the counter, pointing at the menu. "Everything's listed there! I'll be right back to get your orders." Humming happily, she headed into the back, leaving the guys to try to figure out just what they wanted.

"Okonomiyaki, huh? There's something you won't see on any menus at home." Mike mused, as he joined his friends at the counter. He looked up at the menu and blinked. "Wow, look at the variety!"

"Your nose sure knows how to pick!" Alex said, grinning goofily at Don. Don shook his head, trying not to laugh. Mike turned his focus to an untied shoelace as Ukyo returned from the back.

She turned with a grin to Don and Alex. "You guys ready?"

Alex nodded, "I'll take mine with shrimp, light on sauce but heavy on the greens."

Don was still looking at the menu. "Hmm.. shrimp for me, too, but could I get regular sauce with extra crunchy noodles?"

Ukyo smiled. "Mhm, sure thing!" She then moved over to Mike, who was still fiddling with his shoelaces. "What about you, hun?"

"Huh?" Mike looked up to come face to face with Ukyo, who was smiling at him expectantly. He blushed slightly. "Ahh… umm… I'll have what they're having…"

Ukyo quirked an eyebrow. "They ordered different things…"

"Right, right…" Don and Alex leaned and watched as their usually cool and confident friend stumbled over his words like _they _were untied. "I'll um… house special…" he managed, returning to his shoelace, which he had managed to tangle into an incredible mess. Ukyo looked curiously at the others, who offered only shrugs in return.

"All right!" Ukyo shrugged as well and started to work on their orders. "You boys from out of town?"

Alex blinked at her in amazement. "That's incredible! How could you tell?" Don groaned, causing Ukyo to giggle a bit.

"Well, for one thing, I've never seen you guys around before. And, you know… you're not Japanese." She poked at the cooking okonomiyaki a bit. "Nerima's pretty small, so it's not hard to tell who isn't local."

"Oh! That makes sense." Alex returned with a polite smile.

"You guys look a little young to be businessmen. What brings you to Nerima?" she asked, flipping the food with a quick flashing of spatulas.

Don blinked in awe of her display of culinary aptitude. "We're students. Exchange program."

Ukyo nodded. "I see. Well, I hope you guys are better than those German guys from last year. They would always leave such a mess, and they were lousy tippers. Not to mention the time they set that garbage can on fire…"

"That sounds horrible. I promise you won't get that kind of trouble from us." Don said, reassuringly. "Alex is a peace loving hippie, I was raised by a police officer, and Mike's some sort of Zen master…"

Ukyo smirked at Mike, who quickly turned his head toward Don. "He's exaggerating. Stop exaggerating!"

Don furrowed his eyebrows, turning focus back to Ukyo. "Anyway… we were supposed to meet with our host family at the bus station, but we didn't find them and they didn't find us. We were hungry so we came here. Any idea who we're looking for?"

Ukyo shrugged. "Sorry, no one said anything about it. They've got all three of you in the same place, though? That's a lot of work for one family."

Alex nodded to her. "Yeah, seems a bit strange, but we weren't going to fight them about it. We need somewhere to stay, and it's nice that we get to stick together."

"I guess that is nice for you guys. Just go easy on that poor family, whoever they are." She smiled slightly and flashed her spatulas across the grill area once again, serving up their okonomiyaki. Alex applauded and looked excitedly over at Don, before the two of them began to dig in. Mike sat for a moment, trying to determine the best way to attack this strange new food, when Ukyo made her way back over to him. "So, what's your story? Are you feeling okay?"

Mike took his cap off for a moment, running his hand through his dark, messy hair. "I'm a little, uh, jet-lagged, I think." He put his cap back on and shook his head. "I'm not usually like this."

"Don't worry about it. It's not easy being away from home, you know." She patted him gently on the shoulder. "Just enjoy your meal, and you can make a good impression on me at school tomorrow."

Mike rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "R-right…"

The bell on the door chimed once again, and Nabiki stepped inside the shop. Ukyo smiled politely to her. "Hello, Nabiki. What can I get for you?"

Nabiki smirked slightly in response. "Not that I don't like your food, Ukyo, but I haven't paid for my own meal in… well, a really long time. This is merely an exploratory visit. See, Ranma 'won' us the 'right' to be the host family for some Americans, and I was just wondering…" The three boys, at hearing this, turned to face Nabiki. Her eyes traveled from Alex to Don to Mike. "…if you'd seen them."

Ukyo blinked. "_You guys _are the host family? Uh… is that…?" The guys turned back toward Ukyo, who suddenly looked cheerful again. "Guys, this is Nabiki Tendo. Nabiki, these are your students!"

Mike nodded to Nabiki, adjusting his cap just a bit. "Michael Garrett, Donald Fournier and Alex Edwardson." The other guys nodded slightly when their names were said, with Alex throwing in a goofy wave, as well.

Nabiki shrugged indifferently. "Well, they seem normal enough, I guess. Though by Nerima standards, that isn't saying much."

"They've been very polite. That one's a little weird, though." She playfully pointed to Mike.

"Jet lag! It's just jet lag!" he stammered.

Nabiki seemed unfazed. "Well, pay the lady and let's go, guys. My family's been waiting for you long enough."

Ukyo put their food in take out boxes, and after a short huddle up, Alex paid the bill with a credit card, which caught Nabiki's eye.

"Hope you enjoy those, boys! I'll see you all tomorrow, I'm sure!" Ukyo called after them, as Nabiki led them out. Mike's focus once again shifted to his shoetops. When they were outside, however, he seemed to return to his usual self, moving up ahead of his companions and beside his hostess.

"Miss Tendo?" he asked, causing Nabiki to give him a funny look. "What did you mean by 'won'?


	2. Pomp and Circumstance

**Chapter Two**

The three boys sat at the table in the center of the Tendo dining room, surrounded by the home's chattering occupants. It was a bit strange for them, being the center of attention.

"I found them at Ucchan's. I guess they were a bit hungry, and tired of waiting for Ranma to finish his run-in with Ryoga." Nabiki explained. This drew odd looks from the Americans, as well as an upset-sounding grunt from P-Chan. Akane squeezed the pig comfortingly and glared angrily at Ranma.

"Ranma, were you picking on poor Ryoga again? Doesn't he have it bad enough as it is without you beating up on him?"

"Poor widdle baby!" Ranma mocked, staring quite angrily at P-Chan. "I don't know why you stick up for him all the time, Akane, considering he usually starts the fights. Besides, I'm pretty sure he ain't too upset about it right now."

"How can you say that, Ranma?" she responded quite indignantly. Before he could respond, however, Kasumi spoke up.

"Ranma! Akane! You're being rude to our guests! You should never get into fights in front of company."

Everyone turned to look at Kasumi in states of varying shock, except for the Americans, who were too busy eating their lunches to really notice the others' reactions.

"Oh, don't mind us, really!" Don said, not looking up. "We don't want to upset your lives any more than they've already been. I feel kind of bad that you didn't know you'd be housing three whole high school boys. Why, the cost of food alone…"

"D-don't worry about it, son." Soun interrupted, a nervous laugh accompanying. "You are our guests, and we'll be sure to make the proper arrangements. You will find that the hospitality of the Tendo school will not leave you wanting."

Alex made a face. "This is the school? Kinda small for a high school, isn't it?"

"I don't think he meant this was the high school, you goon." Mike interjected with a groan. He then turned with a friendly smile to his hosts, ruffling Alex's hair a little more. "He's a simple lad at times, but he's loyal and good-hearted."

Soun cleared his throat. "Right… anyway… no! This is no high school, but the school of Anything Goes Martial Arts! A school with a long and storied tradition of mighty, nigh undefeatable martial artists!" The guys watched in mild disbelief as Genma stood and began to lower a large Rising Sun flag behind his comrade. "A school for which no opponent is too strong! No technique too difficult to master!"

"No exaggeration too great!" added Ranma, causing the guys to turn their attentions his way. "I can't believe you two. How can a school consisting of one teacher, one moron and no students call itself mighty? How can it even call itself a school?"

Genma frowned, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You should be more respectful, boy. You're the heir to the Anything Goes school, and when Tendo and I are gone, it will be your duty to restore it to its former glory."

"What glory?"

The Saotome men began to get into it with their usual elevating gusto. Soun and the younger daughters Tendo watched with their usual mix of bemusement, annoyance, and indifference. But Kasumi looked distraught over the poor first impression this day had made on their guests. Seeing her expression, Mike called for a huddle up.

"Guys," he began, pulling the brim of his cap down a bit. "It's pretty obvious to me already that we've landed center stage of a three ring circus. Unfortunately, there's not much we can really do about that at the moment. It's not our place to." The other guys nodded in agreement. "What we can do, however, is try to be good guests." He motioned subtly toward Kasumi, who seemed to be near tears at the continuing display by Ranma and Genma. She was surprised to see the three boys approach her, acting as if nothing at all was out of the ordinary.

"Miss Tendo, if you wouldn't mind showing us around the house, we would appreciate it." Don piped up, smiling politely. The other boys nodded in agreement behind him. This gesture clearly delighted Kasumi, whose sweet smile returned as she nodded back at them. She led them out of the dining room, and away from the fracas, which threatened to spill out into the next room.

The four of them headed out the back door and into the picturesque back yard of the Tendo household. Alex stopped on a rock and admired the simple beauty of the koi pond. He'd seen a fair number of these in the United States, while traveling with his father on business affairs. Most of them, however, were overdone imitations. No one could match the understated artistry of the Japanese.

"Alex, there's no one in the water!" Don called to him, "It's just your reflection!" Alex looked over to see Don waving to him from the doorway of another section of the house. Alex pulled his sandals on a bit tighter and wordlessly walked to catch up with his friends.

Kasumi brought them to the large, open space that was the dojo with a smile. "Here we are! This is where you will be staying. I hope it won't be too much bother for you." She turned to see the three of them looking around in wonder.

"This place is huge!" exclaimed Don, who set his suitcase down on the wood floor, only to marvel at the fact that the sound, as well as his voice, echoed through the hall. "What is it?"

"Why, this is the family dojo." She replied matter-of-factly, as if everyone had one down the hall from the bathroom, by the koi pond. "We only have one spare bedroom, and that one is being used by the Saotomes. I'm sorry if this isn't what you expected, but I'm afraid we weren't prepared for any more houseguests."

"This will be fine, Miss Tendo, perfect. I just hope that we won't be in the way of dojo business." Mike noticed that, despite Ranma's remarks, the place looked well used. Surely this place wasn't paid for and maintained for no reason.

Kasumi laughed just a little. "That's very polite of you, but I'm sure it won't be a problem. Just try not to make a mess in here for when Ranma or Akane want to practice."

"Okay, Miss Kasumi." Alex grinned.

"Please, you needn't be so formal!" Kasumi insisted. "You're going to be staying here for some time. You'll be sleeping under our roof, taking meals with us, even sharing a washroom with this family. I suppose that would make you all a part of this family, as well. So, please, just Kasumi will do." She punctuated with a sweet, Kasumi smile that made the room seem brighter. Don was particularly impressed.

"Well, we can't argue with that logic, Kasumi. You're a great hostess, and we're fortunate to have you."

She blushed slightly at the praise. "Thank you. I try my best." She bowed and turned to go. "You boys just try to stay out of trouble, okay? Things can be a little strange around here sometimes…" She offered them one more of her signature smiles, before heading back to the house proper, most likely to clean up after the Saotomes' fight.

Don turned back to the others with a quizzical look. "What do you think she meant by that? Do you think this place could be dangerous?"

Alex, who was already lounging on the floor, laughed Don's concerns off. "This is Japan, buddy! It's orderly! It's disciplined! What's the worst that could happen?"

Five students dashed frantically along the streets of Nerima. Mike, Alex and Don didn't fully understand what the rush was about, but being that Ranma and Akane were their guides, they didn't have much choice but to try to keep up.

"H-hey!" called Don, deftly stepping over a fallen garbage can. "What's the big rush?"

Akane growled. "Ranma fell asleep in the bath this morning, so we're going to be late!"

Ranma stuck his tongue out at her. "Well, maybe if your snoring hadn't kept me up all night, I wouldn't have been so tired!" Akane responded by swinging her bookbag furiously at Ranma, who avoided every swing skillfully without even breaking stride.

Mike grinned playfully as he watched their display. "Wow, you two fight like a married couple."

"Not yet…" grumbled Ranma, under his breath. The overall lack of response bothered Mike a little, but it was a concern that was quickly pushed away, as they came into view of Furinkan High School.

"It's huge!" Don exclaimed, "Way bigger than our school back home."

"It's got its own swimming pool!" added Alex, "And check out how realistic that samurai statue is! It looks like it's getting ready to charge us right now!"

"Statue?" Ranma blinked and came to a sudden stop, causing the others to follow suit behind him. Standing between them and the school was Tatewaki Kuno, life-sized and with bokken swinging action.

"Saotome, you may travel with an entourage of bodyguards. Fie, you couldst travel with an army of barbaric warriors! It would matter not, for all would fall in crushing defeat under the Crashing Typhoon!"

The Americans stood in disbelief at the absolute nonsense which had just spewed forth from this seemingly mighty warrior. Mike was trying hard not to laugh, but Don was not nearly amused.

"Ranma, who is this jackass?"

Ranma opened his mouth to answer, but Kuno's voice came back instead. "You!" The focus of the bokken pointing switched from Ranma to Don. "Did no one ever teach you not to address your betters unless first spoken to? Surely even an American cannot be so uncouth."

A furious Don stepped forward, his fists clenched at his sides. "You pompous moron! Just who the Hell do you think you are?"

Kuno seemed delighted at the question, causing Ranma to groan. "Here we go again…"

"Who do I _think _I am? Nay, I shall tell you what I know!" He flourished his bokken, the intensity of his eyes offset by his idiot grin. "I am a force of nature itself! A culmination of her fury, personified. My offensive presses ever forth, like wind and wave unhindered, building to a resounding crescendo of destruction that sweeps away my enemies. Those who stand against me cannot possibly stop me, they merely hope to survive me. I am the Crashing Typhoon of Furinkan High School! I am Tatewaki—"

"Kuno, baby…" Kuno froze at the sound of a voice from behind him. The group peeked around the posing poseur to see Nabiki, a bemused look on her face. "Can't we have one new student you don't pick a fight with? Or are you trying to compensate for some… shortcoming?"

"Oh, snap!" Came the commentary from Alex. Mike merely stifled a laugh. Don wasn't sure if Kuno was more ridiculous or rage inducing.

Kuno turned heel to face the middle Tendo daughter. "Curse you, Nabiki Tendo, for interrupting the grand introduction of a warrior." His voice was calm while speaking to her, as compared to a moment earlier. "Surely you do not intend to stand in defense of this lowly scoundrel…"

Don's eyebrow twitched and he stepped forward once more, but Nabiki raised a hand to halt him. "Sorry, but being that he's staying at my house, he's my responsibility." Ranma and Akane blinked almost in unison, as Nabiki turned her focus to Don. "Yo. Come on, we're going to be late…"

Don hesitated for a moment, before making his way over to Nabiki. Kuno glared furiously as he passed. "This is _far _from over… uh…" he cursed mentally, making a note to learn his adversary's name. "… you!" Kuno then took off hurriedly away from the school, presumably toward his fortress of a home. Ranma, Mike and Alex watched him go, as the bell sounded from the school.

"Uh, guys? Shouldn't we be getting to class, too?" Akane spoke up, breaking the confused silence. The four of them made their way inside, double-time.

Akane led the two remaining Americans through the halls of Furinkan High, seeming to enjoy the role of tour guide as she pointed out the various locations they would need to know, smiling all the while. "And this is the school doctor's office." She pointed toward a door which opened to a room full of empty cots. "Although it doesn't really get as much use as it did last year."

Mike gave her a curious look in response. "What do you mean? Were people getting hurt a lot? Was there some sort of accident?"

Ranma, who had been taking up the rear, gave Akane a wide grin. "Yeah, Akane, let them know why all those boys kept ending up in triage."

Akane blushed heavily. "Well, you see... last year, Kuno made this big speech about how Furinkan High had to be an honorable society, and that if anyone here wanted to, ahh..." Her blush deepened even more. "Date me... they would have to beat me in hand-to-hand combat."

Alex did a double-take. "You've got to be kidding. That jackass actually said that? He set all those guys after you just so they could ask you out?"

Ranma laughed. "I think you're missing the point of this story, man. Akane always got out without a scratch. Even against Kuno himself. I guess there's not a guy around here who stands a chance against the manliest chick in Nerima ward!"

Akane reflexively swung her bookbag at Ranma once again, a move which he dodged ably. The Americans, on the other hand, barely managed to get out of the way in time. Mike noted Ranma's lightning reflexes quietly, before turning back to Akane. "Okay, so what was his angle then? Why would he ever set such a condition?"

Ranma fielded this one, as well. "Isn't it obvious? Kuno's so damn full of himself that he figured he'd have no trouble beating Akane in a fight. He thinks he's the greatest warrior this side of Shaka. Fortunately for Akane, he gets stupider than usual when he even looks at her, so it was never a challenge for her."

Alex put a hand on Akane's shoulder, comfortingly. "Hey, that's pretty cool, though. I bet you work really hard to get so good at martial arts that you can beat every guy in the school."

Her expression slowly changing to a smile, Akane turned toward Alex. "Thank you! It's about time _someone around here_ acknowledged the hard work and dedication it takes to be a real martial artist." Ranma rolled his eyes at the comment, but said nothing. Akane looked at the piece of paper Alex was carrying. "Okay, you're a year behind us, so your homeroom is..."

Alex pointed at a nearby room, cutting Akane off mid-sentence. "There. I'm pretty sure that's the one..." The girl followed the line from his finger to the door, a look of disbelief on her face.

"Wait, how did you...?"

This time, it was Ranma who cut her off. "Wait a second, that's Miss Hinako's class, isn't it? That Principal Kuno sure isn't going easy on you guys, is he?"

Alex and Mike exchanged worried glances for a moment, before Mike decided to break the brief silence. "What do you mean? Is she a tough teacher or something?"

Ranma gave a cynical laugh in response. "You don't even know the half of it. I had her last year, and she -" He stopped suddenly, as Alex was giving him an easy grin in reply to his explanation. Ranma furrowed his eyebrows at the shaggy-haired American. "What's with you?"

Alex turned toward the classroom, giving a bit of a shrug. "It's all good, man. I'm not worried about tough teachers. There are worse things in the world to deal with." He looked back over his shoulder at his three companions. "I'll see you at lunch or something, right?" And with that, he made his way into the classroom, leaving Ranma and Akane in a stunned silence. Mike broke the tension with a laugh.

"Don't worry about him, he's damn near inscrutable sometimes." He signaled for the three of them to continue moving, which Ranma and Akane quickly picked up on. Mike turned to them again as they walked. "Is it safe to assume I'm in with you two? I'd really hate to be separated from everyone I've met here."

"Yep, you sure are!" Akane replied with a smile. "You're in class with Ranma and myself, as well as Ukyo Kuonji, who you all met yesterday."

The American gave a nervous laugh and glanced away. "Oh yeah, I'd forgotten all about that. And that guy from outside?"

"Kuno?" Answered Ranma, the disdain in his voice evident. "Despite the fact that the fool can barely dress himself in the morning, he's a year ahead of us. His last year, I might add. It'll be so nice to be rid of him once and for all." He smiled serenely at the mere thought of a Kuno-less existence.

"He's in my sister Nabiki's class." Akane added, helpfully. "Don is with them, as well."

The potential disaster of that classroom situation was not lost on Mike. "I really hope that Don doesn't do anything stupid. In case it wasn't obvious, he can be a little rash sometimes." The three of them finally approached their classroom, when something else dawned on Mike. "Wait, did you say Principal _Kuno_?"

Don and Nabiki had taken adjacent desks in their classroom, which they were currently occupying during a break in between lessons. Don had gone through the customary introductions, but the teacher, Mr. Kanada, was all business. And, much to Don's chagrin, had decided to test the merits of the American educational system.

"This guy is all over me!" Don complained, leaning back in his chair. "I mean, I know we were late, but still... there are other students here."

Nabiki watched him out of the corner of her eye, taking stock of the boy. "You've handled yourself so far. Clearly you're not an idiot. Although, challenging Kuno on your first day may not have been the smartest decision you've ever made."

The mere mention of the name set Don's teeth on edge. "He was asking for it. I can't believe the way he was talking to us! Where does that guy come off acting like such a pompous jerk?"

Nabiki tapped her pen lightly against her desk, tilting her head toward Don just slightly. "Well, Kuno's got money. Lots of it. Which means he has little in the way of actual responsibility. Mix that in with a really messed up family situation in general..." She gave a slight sigh. "It'd almost be heartbreaking, if it wasn't so lucrative."

Don gave her a disbelieving look. "You don't mean that you actually feel sorry for that guy..."

Nabiki began to answer, but stopped as she spotted Kuno returning to the class. Upon seeing Don, the ersatz samurai made his way quickly across the classroom in a state of wide-eyed fury. Nabiki pointed over Don's shoulder and spoke with a note of what, for Nabiki, passes for concern. "Incoming."

Don spun around in his seat just in time to see Kuno closing in. The American rose quickly, causing Kuno to stop a few feet away. Don sneered. "What do you want now?"

The shock on Kuno's face increased tenfold. "You cur! How dare you address me in such a way? You aren't worthy of speaking to me on such familiar terms!" The taller boy puffed out his chest a bit, steeling his resolve. "As for my business with you, it appears you have once again overstepped your bounds. I am intent on rectifying that situation..."

Don rubbed his forehead with a groan. "Can't you just talk like a normal human being, for once?"

Kuno's eyebrows furrowed. "What? Err... very well then!" He cleared his throat and pointed to Don's chair. "You are in my seat."

Don looked up at Kuno with disbelief, for a moment. But then his expression changed to a sly grin. "Oh, really? I'm sorry, I didn't see your damn name on it."

Kuno once again looked scandalized. "Clearly, you do not know your place. Perhaps it is my duty as a warrior to show it to you!" Kuno's bokken was drawn and ready in a flash, catching Don slightly off guard. Don grabbed for his chair, hoping to use it to defend himself, when a shout from the front of the classroom stopped both of them cold.

"Would you two stop messing around in here? This is a place of learning!" Mr. Kanada's face was beet red. The two boys lowered their weapons slowly. "Now, Mr. Kuno... if you are going to insist on being a nuisance today, you may as well do it from the hallway!"

Kuno closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and sheathed his bokken. "Mark my words, and mark them well: you _will_ learn where you stand in the order of things, uhh..." His eyes snapped open. Once again, he was at the disadvantage of not knowing the name of his adversary. "You!" And with that, he turned and exited the classroom once again. No one but Don seemed at all surprised by any of the goings on.

Mr. Kanada turned his focus to the American now. "As for you, Mr. Fournier..."

"A-HA!" Came Kuno's voice from the hallway. The sound of furious scribbling followed. Mr. Kanada's eyebrow twitched just slightly.

"As for you... since this is your first day here, I will give you leniency. But please, in the future, do not encourage the antics of that strange and wildly disturbed young man. Understood?"

Don returned to his chair, looking over at Nabiki, who was having a hard time keeping herself from laughter. The boy frowned. "What's so funny?"

She gave him a playful grin. "You're cute when you're angry."

Don rolled his eyes.

The Americans reconvened at the lunch table, taking a table with Ranma and his friends. The pigtailed boy grinned as the three of them sat down. "Hey, guys, thanks for joining us! We were just talking about you." His companions, a black-haired boy with narrow eyes and a shaggy-haired boy with light brown hair, observed the three of them curiously. Ranma motioned to them. "This is Hiroshi, and this is Daisuke. Guys, meet my prizes."

Hiroshi laughed. "Wait, this is what Principal Kuno said everyone was going to try to steal? Some prize! Not even a single cute girl amongst them!" His laughter was stopped short by a pair of frowns from Don and Mike. He grimaced a bit. "Er, no offense meant, of course."

Mike shook his head and smirked. "None taken. I saw you guys in class, so you know me already. This is Don and that one's Alex." Alex gave his usual goofy wave upon introduction. Mike looked around at the many students filling the cafeteria. "The way I see it, the more people we get to know around here, the better. This place is way crazier than we ever expected."

Daisuke gave a nod. "You don't even know the half of it. Of course, most of that craziness revolves around your host family..."

Ranma glared at his friend. "Oh, like we asked for any of it! I'm not the one going around challenging people to fights or nothin'."

Don leaned closer to the conversation. "I have to say that as far as that Tatekwaki guy's concerned, I can't really fault Ranma. That guy's a class A certified jackass. I'm honestly surprised no one's just put him out of everyone's misery by now."

Ranma grumbled, poking at his food. "Don't think I haven't tried..."

Alex looked up from his lunch for a moment, glancing around the cafeteria. "Hey, Ranma... how come you don't eat with Akane?"

Daisuke and Hiroshi froze for a moment, before giving their friend a pair of mocking grins. "Yeah, Ranma. Why _don't_ we eat with Akane?"

Ranma gritted his teeth, silently vowing revenge on his two closest companions. He glanced over at the three Americans, who looked back at him expectantly. "Well, we have to live together, ya know? Plus we're in the same class, so really, this is the only time we get where we're not around each other. I don't think I gotta be around Akane all the time."

Alex tilted his head to the side. "Well, that makes sense, I guess."

Hiroshi grinned at Daisuke. "It's too bad. We really wouldn't object to more Akane time ourselves!"

Daisuke turned his focus back to Ranma, obviously trying to needle his friend just a bit more. "Yeah, Ranma, you've got it made, man. Even after all this time, I can't help but be a little jealous..."

Suddenly, Ranma stood up with a growl. His cheeks were a bit red, but he attempted to retain his calm. "Well, you guys, if you want her so bad, you can go ahead and have her. That chick's nothin' but trouble. Plus, it's not like she's cute or nothin'. And I didn't ask for _that_, either." He shoved his lunch tray toward his friends a bit angrily. "So I'd _appreciate_ it if you'd keep your mouths shut about it in front of my damn guests!" He turned heel and stormed off, leaving a table full of confused looks in his wake.

Don finally spoke up, after a moment. "What was _that_ about?"

Hiroshi and Daisuke exchanged glances for a moment, weighing their options against the consequences. It was a well-honed move, their communication almost instant. Mike noted this connection with a quizzical look. The two boys finally nodded and looked back at the Americans.

"If you don't know already..."

"...we're not going to say a thing!"

With that, the two boys rose, nodded, and took their leave of the table.

The Americans leaned in together once again. Don shook his head. "This place keeps getting stranger and stranger."

Mike nodded. "Agreed. We're definitely in the middle of some extremely weird stuff here. I think you'd need an instruction manual to figure out the twists and turns of this place. I really think we're getting way more than we've bargained for here."

Alex shrugged, and returned his attention to his food. "Why worry about it? We're here, we don't have anywhere else to go here in Tokyo, and we're certainly not going back home. Might as well just... go with the flow."

Don flicked his friend in the head. "Easy for you to say. No one challenged you to a duel to the death this morning before homeroom!"

Alex seemed unbothered by the tiny attack. "You're right, but I also didn't respond to the guy. You did. And now, you've got to deal with the consequences. I know you were annoyed. Hell, we all were. But it's the first day, Don... you can't just go after everyone who annoys you."

Mike looked surprised. "Well, damn. He's on the ball here, Don. You should maybe try to make peace with this guy. Just gotta swallow that pride of yours for once."

"Yeah, maybe." Don looked a bit ashamed. "Man, what was I thinking?"

His two friends gave him simultaneous pats on the back. Mike smirked. "Don't worry about it, buddy. You're only human. Besides, you _really_ don't want to go after this guy. Who knows what the principal would do to you if you tried to beat up on his son!"

At this, even Alex dropped his silverware.


	3. Red and Gold

**Chapter Three**

Seiichi Saito was a man fresh out of university. His ambition, as long as he could remember, was to be a teacher. He wanted to inspire young people to excel, to make their mark on the world. He was young, and he felt that he could connect with the youth of the day in a way that older, more tenured educators could never hope to. When he learned that there was an opening for a teacher at Furinkan High, he was cautiously hopeful that he would be selected to fill the position. He spent the days before his interview preparing notes, creating sample lessons, practicing every answer to every possible question. When he arrived in the office of Principal Kuno he was, to say the least, taken aback by the man's strange manner of dress and behavior. However, he took it in stride, eager to land the position. When the principal informed him that he had been the only person to apply for the job, Seiichi was dumbfounded. But he happily took the position.

He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

Mr. Saito faced his reassembled class with a wide, sincere grin. "Welcome back, guys! I hope you all enjoyed your lunch break!" His enthusiasm was met with a few disinterested stares, but he remained undaunted. "Now, I believe that education is an interactive and cooperative experience. As such, I'm going to divide you into pairs for the next lesson."

Many in the class groaned, but Mike perked up a bit. He turned his attention toward a rather bored looking Ukyo, sitting a few desks away. He was still embarrassed by his rather clumsy conversation with her the day before at Ucchan's, and had been looking forward to getting a chance at redemption ever since. Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to find an excuse to approach her, merely settling for quick glances out of the corner of his eye. Mr. Saito had finally given him an opportunity, if only he would call their names together.

"Daisuke and Hiroshi..."

Mike looked around the room, counting the students in the room. Sixteen, counting himself. Not bad odds, he thought, but not very good ones, either. If only there were some way to influence Mr. Saito's decision making process.

"Ayako and Kazuo..."

Mike looked back toward the teacher, deciding that his only hope was a metaphysical approach. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to calm his mind. If he could focus all his energy, he thought, perhaps he could send as many Ukyo vibes as possible toward his teacher. It was a longshot, but at the moment, it was his only shot.

"Sayuri and Yuka..."

The room fell away, leaving Mike in total darkness. The air was warm; he could swear he smelled the beach. He heard footsteps approaching from up ahead. An otherworldly light illuminated the figure as it came closer. The figure of a girl. Ukyo. She smiled at him, and he could feel himself suddenly getting lighter. She waved for him to follow her, before turning back off into the dark.

"... and Michael." There was a familiar voice, but he couldn't place it. It sounded like it was coming from the other side of the world. "...Michael?"

He blinked awake, realizing that he was still in the classroom. The other students had joined Mr. Saito in giving him odd looks, wondering if he was okay. He blushed at the attention. "Ah... yes?"

A few of the other students laughed. Mr. Saito crossed his arms. "Are you okay? It looked like you fell asleep." 

Mike shook his head rapidly. "Oh, no. I-I'm fine..."

"Well, try to stay with us, okay? Now go ahead and join Miss Kuonji." The teacher nodded, before returning to his list. Mike's eyes went wide. Had it really worked? He looked over at Ukyo, who was looking back at him with a quirked eyebrow. He picked up his things and took the seat beside her with a smile.

"Ah, hello again." He offered, trying to press down his nervousness as much as he could. "How was your lunch break?"

"It was fine, I guess." She answered, looking up toward the ceiling. "I had to go check on my shop today, because I've heard that there've been break-ins around Nerima. I don't want my place getting ripped off while I'm away, you know?"

Mike nodded. "Oh, definitely. That would really suck."

"It really would..." She smirked at him.

Mike noted the smirk with a bit of a grimace. "Ah, I'm totally blowing this, aren't I?"

Ukyo laughed a little. "Yeah, you kind of are."

"Oh man..." He shook his head. "I swear I'm not a total spaz or anything. I just have a hard time meeting new people. And in the last couple of days, I've met a _lot_ of new people."

Ukyo gave him a sympathetic nod. "Yeah, it's pretty tough. I just moved here last year myself, so I know what it's like being a total stranger. People make the weirdest assumptions about you..." She thought back to when she first arrived, and how everyone mistook her for a boy. She nodded again. "Okay, how about this? I'll start this time."

Mike raised his eyebrows. "Okay..."

"Hi, I'm Ukyo." She extended her hand to him. He hesitated for a moment, before taking it.

"Nice to meet you, Ukyo. I'm Mike."

She grinned. "See, not so hard to meet new people, is it?"

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess not, as long as new people want to meet you back."

After school let out, the Americans and their hosts had gathered at the gates of the school. Akane and Ranma had been fighting about a disagreement they'd had during their pairs lesson, so Alex had decided to split off from the group, rather than be subjected to another one of their spats. He would never understand why people felt the need to fight.

As he wandered the streets of Nerima, he began to appreciate the simple beauty of the place. Ever since he was a little boy, he'd been fascinated with Japanese culture. His father had been to Japan on more than one occasion, and would always bring Alex gifts back from his trips. Statuettes and postcards, paintings and clothing. But even the exotic locations he'd always imagined couldn't stand up to the real thing. He admired the way the sun looked on the peaceful river which flowed through the city. He smiled at the hustle and bustle of an open air market, filled with shrewd merchants and aggressive bargain hunters. He marveled at the large panda sweeping the sidewalk.

Alex stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the panda with more confusion than usual. "What the...?"

The panda looked back down at him, its expression rather calm for a wild animal. It offered Alex a grunted greeting, before resuming its sweeping duties.

Alex turned to the sign for the building. It appeared to be some sort of medical facility, offering, among other things, chiropractor, accupuncture and something called moxibustion. The name of the doctor, Tofu Ono, was featured in rather humbly-sized text. Alex turned his attention back to the building and its ursine curator.

"So, I see you've met Mr. Saotome!"

Alex blinked with surprise. It seemed the words had come from the bear. But even in Japan, Alex knew that would be impossible. He tilted around the side of the bear to see a rather young looking man with round glasses heading toward him. "He's really friendly, and a hard worker too! I couldn't have asked for a better assistant." The man smiled cheerfully as he spoke, patting the bear on the back.

Alex grinned at the strange pair. He had to admit, this was all kind of funny. He gave a happy nod to the doctor. "And I bet he keeps people from messing with your place, too!"

"That he does! But don't let him fool you. He's really quite sweet." Dr. Tofu rubbed the bear's belly for emphasis. "Aren't you, Mr. Saotome?"

The bear grumbled a bit, looking away from both the doctor and Alex. He then produced, seemingly from nowhere, a small wooden sign which read "I'm also available for kids' parties." Alex applauded at this.

"Wow, you've really got him trained well, haven't you?"

Dr. Tofu crossed his arms and looked up at the sign. "Actually, he's always been able to do that. Come to think of it, I've never had to teach him how to do anything." The doctor gave a goofy grin to Alex. "I guess he's just smarter than the average bear, eh?"

The two of them shared a laugh, before Dr. Tofu looked Alex over again. "I'm not sure I've ever seen you around here. Might I ask what brings you here to Nerima?"

Alex ran his fingers through his shaggy hair. "Oh, yeah, I guess I didn't introduce myself, did I? My name's Alex Edwardson, and I'm an exchange student from America."

Dr. Tofu smiled brightly. "A student, huh? I bet you know Akane Tendo then, huh?"

"Yeah, actually, I do." Alex's eyebrows went up. What was so special about Akane to this guy? "Believe it or not, I'm staying with her family."

"You are?" This seemed to pique the doctor's interest. "Wait here a second, okay?" Dr. Tofu headed back into his office, leaving Alex and Mr. Saotome standing together awkwardly.

"So, know any good jokes...?"

Mr. Saotome's sign came up. "I'm Ranma's dad!"

Alex blinked, silent for a moment. "I... don't get it."

Dr. Tofu came back out, carrying a small satchel. "Will you please bring this to Kasumi for me, Alex? I've been meaning to give it to her myself, but..." He trailed off at the end.

"Don't worry, Doctor..." Alex took the satchel dutifully. "I'll make sure this gets to her safely!"

"Thank you very much! If you ever need anything, just come by my office. I'm always happy to help a friend of the Tendo family."

Alex grinned. "I'm happy to help, too. They've been really good to all of us so far." He started off with a wave. "I'll see you around!"

Dr. Tofu waved back with a shout. "Yes! And tell Akane to go easy on Ranma, will you?"

Alex frowned. "I don't get that one, either!"

Don arrived home before the others, sighing gently as he sat down in the makeshift bedroom Kasumi had set up in the dojo. It had been an extremely crazy day for him: first day at school and already he had a crazy wannabe samurai gunning for him. He'd put a lot of thought on what to do about the situation with Kuno, and he'd decided that maybe it was best to apologize. After all, fighting could get him into a lot of trouble, especially since Kuno was the principal's son. They might even send him back to America. As much as he was starting to feel homesick, he had no intention of going back so soon.

The sound of the door sliding open caused Don to look up. He heard heavy footsteps coming into the dojo. Could Kuno have followed him here? He quickly rose to his feet, putting himself immediately on the defensive. However, the face that greeted him was not that of the Crashing Typhoon.

A young man with black hair and a determined demeanor entered the dojo. He was wearing a large backpack and carrying what appeared to be a bamboo umbrella. Ryoga Hibiki spotted Don and narrowed his eyes. "Oh, you're one of those American guys, aren't you?"

Don's guard dropped just a bit. "Uh, yeah... how did you...?"

"Never mind that." Ryoga shook his head. "I need you to tell me where I can find Ranma."

Don's eyebrows furrowed. "Well, I'm not entirely sure where he went. He and Akane were arguing, and she started chasing him. They're pretty quick, we lost them before too long."

Ryoga's fists clenched. "Oh, that Ranma! Why would Akane ever waste her time with that insensitive jerk?" He snapped back to attention, turning focus back to Don. "Do you.. know which direction they were heading?"

Don looked up, trying to recall. "I'd say uptown, I think. Along the river."

"Uptown..." Ryoga turned and looked out the door. "Wait, I know this one..."

Don watched in confusion as Ryoga attempted to work out which direction to go using a clue he'd heard on the radio.

"'When you're alone and life is making you lonely you can always go...'" He growled. "Wait, that's downtown!"

Don approached the boy and looked out the door, as well. "Look, just head along that way." He pointed in the general direction he thought Ranma and Akane had gone. "Follow the trail of destruction. I'm sure you'll find them."

Ryoga grinned that fang-filled grin at Don. "Hey, thanks for the help! I'll be sure to let Ranma know you gave me a hand!" And with that, Ryoga set forth. In the completely opposite direction to where Don had pointed.

"H-hey!" Don scrambled to his feet in an attempt to catch up to the stranger, but when he got to the door, he was already completely out of sight. Don furrowed his eyebrows. "Weird."

"What's weird?" Ranma appeared from the house proper. He was a bit bruised from his disagreement with Akane, but didn't seem worse for the wear.

Don looked Ranma over curiously. "Ah, there was this weird guy with a big-ass umbrella in here looking for you. I think he mentioned something about Akane, too." Don crossed his arms. "Are... you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks." Ranma merely shrugged the question off. It was obvious to Don that he was used to that level of abuse. "Kinda bummed that I missed out on Ryoga, though. I could really use a light workout right now."

Don turned and pointed in the direction that the strange young man had gone. "He headed off that way, if you want to catch up with him."

Ranma laughed. "No sense in going after him. That umbrella-waving idiot is probably halfway to Hong Kong by now."

"Hong Kong?" Don gave Ranma a confused look. "Why would he-?"

Alex rushed in just in time to interrupt the question, still carrying the satchel. "Don! Ranma! You'll never believe what I just saw!"

Ranma glanced over at Alex doubtfully. "Try me."

"There was a real live panda! Right in the middle of Nerima!"

Don scoffed. "A panda? You dummy, pandas live in China, not Japan. There's no way you saw one in Tokyo. Unless..." Don's hands went to his hips. "Were you at the zoo?"

Alex made a sour face. "No. I wasn't at the zoo. And I know what I saw!" He turned to Ranma, who was looking a little stricken at the realization that Alex had seen his father. "Ranma, you believe me, don't you?"

The pigtailed boy shook his head. "I'm pretty sure if there was a panda on the loose, we'd all know about it. Panic in the streets, mass hysteria, that sort of thing." He tried his best to sound convincing.

Alex huffed. "Fine. But you guys'll be sorry when you see it for yourself. It was down at that doctor's place. Even had a name for it and everything! Of course, I can't remember what that was..."

Genma walked by into the dojo, fresh from the bath. "Hello there, boys!"

Alex grinned and waved. "Hey, Mr. Saotome! Anyway, it definitely had a human name..."

Don shook his head. He'd had enough of his friend's strange behavior. He motioned toward the satchel, hoping to change the subject. "So what do you have there?"

"Oh, this?" Alex held it up. "That doctor guy gave it to me. Said it was for Kasumi. I guess he knows her or something. I decided to bring it here and save him a trip."

"Good thing..." Ranma smirked a little. "We wouldn't want him coming over here and trashing the place."

Alex frowned. "Why would he do that? He seems like such a nice guy."

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Ranma began, holding his hands up. "Doc Tofu's about as nice as they come. But when it comes to Kasumi, he gets all loopy. Total walking disaster area. Tends to break more bones than he mends." He rubbed his hand on his neck, remembering old wounds at the hands of the good doctor. "Guy's totally stupid in love with her."

"Huh... well, I'd better get this to her, then!" Alex nodded and headed toward the kitchen. "I'll see you guys later!"

Don shook his head again. "Sorry about him..." He gave Ranma a serious look. "So, I'm thinking that I ought to apologize to that Kuno guy. He's just not worth the hassle."

Ranma nodded. "Yeah, good idea. Kuno's a chump, but he's a relentless chump. You really don't want to get tangled up with him, or his crazy family. I really appreciated your support, but maybe you should just leave Kuno to me from now on."

"Yeah, maybe..." Don looked down. "I just hate the idea of backing down to anyone."

Ranma patted him on the shoulder. "Trust me, man, you're making the right decision here."

Don sighed, not as sure as his counterpart. "I hope so..."

Nabiki picked her way through the afternoon crowds of the Nerima marketplace, admiring the occasional stand or shop with particularly high-end wares. She sometimes felt tempted to splurge here or there, eyeing a rather expensive pair of designer sunglasses or lingering for a moment over a display of pretty bracelets. But she steeled her resolve, remembering her first rule of Anything Goes Economics: never spend your own money unless you have to.

Today she was especially careful, as she made her way toward the bank with the dojo's income for the week. It seemed to be getting less and less every time she made the trip, although she did appreciate the check from the Foreign Exchange Committee. Even so, the stipend wasn't enough to cover the loss of revenue that the dojo incurred when it lost all of its students. The fact was, they needed a new way to make money in a hurry.

She rounded the corner, spotting the bank up ahead. But something seemed a bit off to her. It was far too quiet. She slowed down a bit, watching the bank warily. No one seemed to be coming in or out, which was strange for the time of day when people would normally be leaving work. Usually she would at least have to wait in line to make her money drop.

From about a block away, she began to hear it: the alarm of the bank was ringing. She ducked into an alley, watching the doors of the bank in the side mirror of a nearby car. Her breathing was sharp, almost panicked. If she'd been a few minutes earlier, she'd have been inside for the robbery.

Suddenly, the doors of the bank burst open. Three men exited in a hurry, carrying large bags of what Nabiki could only assume was stolen money. She took note of the man in front: his arms were adorned with intricate, golden tattoos that glinted in the sunset. She also noted, with a bit of consternation, that they were headed in her direction. She shrunk back into the alley a little more, hoping to get out of sight.

The three men rushed past the alley, and into the very car whose mirror she had been watching them from. The tattooed man got into the front passenger seat. His companions: a tall, black-haired man with dark sunglasses, who was also the driver, and a man the size of a small car himself, with very tan skin, followed suit. Nabiki got a rather good look at all three of them from her hiding place. The very thought of that fact made her spine tingle.

The car started, and Nabiki breathed a sigh of relief as it began to pull away. She looked back into the mirror once more, to see the wicked grin of the man with the golden tattoos, before the car sped away. She sank down the wall a bit, trying to regain her composure. She wondered, for a moment, if she hadn't been seen.

Tatewaki Kuno sat in his rather large bedroom suite, staring out at the rising moon. He had been greatly dishonored by Ranma Saotome's irksome companion, Fournier. It had been hard enough to take the previous day's defeat by his treacherous archnemesis without having to deal with the glaring misdeeds of his American lackey. Kuno gripped the handle of his bokken tightly, pointing it out the window toward the moon.

"I, Tatewaki Kuno, do hereby swear, solemnly and with all determination, to exact my revenge on the wretched Fournier. I shall bring the swift but sure vengeance of heaven down upon him with the force and fury of Mother Nature herself. The punishing tide of my assault shall dash him against the rocks of defeat, and wash him upon the shores of humility. And then he shall know that I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Crashing Typhoon of Furinkan High School, am not someone to be trifled with."

He closed the window, turning toward his bed and setting down his bokken. He made his way over to the large mattress, and took a seat upon it. With a wry smile, he reached for a small teddy bear, taking it into his hands and holding it out in front of himself.

"Mark my words, Musashi... I shall have my revenge on that pipsqueak!"


	4. The High Road

**Chapter Four**

The next morning's breakfast table was an energetic one, with everyone focused on Nabiki. News of the bank robbery had traveled fast, and everyone was curious as to what Nabiki had seen.

"Did you see any of their faces?" Came the first question, from Don, who leaned on the table with a great deal of interest. After all, his father was a cop. Crimebusting was a family trait.

Nabiki frowned. "No. Well, maybe... I don't know. It happened in a hurry. I was just trying to get myself out of sight.

"Oh my! You must have been so frightened!"

"I'm fine, Kasumi, really." Nabiki took a sip of her tea, savoring it for a moment. "My main concern was keeping our money safe. If they'd taken that deposit..." She shuddered at the thought. They were barely breaking even as it was.

"Nabiki, why didn't you call the police?" This came from Akane, who was frowning deeply at the thought of these men taking peoples' hard-earned money. She would never have let them get away with it, she thought, clenching her fist under the table.

The middle sister crossed her arms. "I could hear the bank's alarm from blocks away, Akane. The police were probably already on their way. All I would have accomplished would be getting spotted by those guys. Trust me, I wasn't interested in that scenario."

Mike tilted his head thoughtfully. "Ukyo told me in class yesterday that there have been break-ins around Nerima recently. I wonder if these guys were behind those, too."

Don nodded. "Criminals tend to escalate their behavior. Closed shops first, open banks after. It's possible..."

"Oh, it is quite possible." Soun remarked, placing his hands palms down on the table. "But it's no business of this family's. We will protect this dojo, if need be, but hopefully we will stay away from these men and their attention in the future."

"Whaddya mean by that?" Ranma rose from the table, angrily. "We can't just let these guys go around takin' whatever they want from people! Don't you always say that a martial artist's gotta protect the innocent or somethin'?" Ranma turned to his father, who was watching his son with interest. "Back me up here, Pops!"

Genma nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose, and turned toward his friend. "Boy's got a point, Tendo. You _do_ always say that."

Now was Soun's turn to stand. "Enough of this! Saotome, you and your son are guests in this home. But time and time again, you have brought danger to its doorstep!" His eyes started to well up with tears, his voice shook with uncharacteristic anger. "I will not have any harm come to my daughters because of your foolish actions! This is a matter for the police, do you understand?"

Everyone seemed momentarily stunned by the rare show of strong emotion from the Tendo patriarch. After a moment, Kasumi rose and moved to comfort Soun. "Father, I-"

"You coward!" Ranma interjected, causing the heads of everyone present to snap back in his direction. "I'd expect this kind of thing from my Pops, but from you? Think about it: Nabiki was out in town when she saw these guys. Who's gonna protect her out there, huh? Or Akane at school, or on one of her runs? Or what about Kasumi at the store? We can't just hole up here and hope for the best. 'Cause anythin' can happen!" He turned away from Soun, addressing his fellow students. "C'mon. We're gonna be late for school."

Everyone silently watched as Ranma left the room. A very awkward moment of quiet followed, before the rest of the students slowly but silently gathered there things, and left for school as well.

Genma worriedly watched his red-faced friend. Kasumi stood aside, as well, unsure as to what to do. Her father looked as if he could burst into a bawling jag at any moment. He quivered for a moment, staring blankly at the door. And then, he sighed.

"God damnit, Saotome. I really need a cigarette."

As they made their way toward Furinkan High, Alex walked up alongside Ranma and Akane. Ranma had calmed a bit, but Akane was still watching him with a mixture of concern and admiration. They noticed Alex, who gave them both a polite smile before starting.

"Hey... that stuff Mr. Tendo was saying about this place being dangerous... is that really true? I mean, I know there was that Kuno guy and everything, but just how bad is it around here, really?"

Ranma and Akane traded glances for a brief moment, before Akane turned her focus to Alex.

"Well, let me start from the beginning..."

Meanwhile, a few paces behind, Mike and Don were bringing each other up to speed.

"I think I'm going to try to make peace with that Kuno guy. It just doesn't seem like he's worth all the hassle." Don frowned. "Although, I hate to give in to a jackass like that. I just really don't want to go back home. I keep thinking about what Lynn said. She'd be really disappointed in me if I got kicked out of the country on day two." He laughed. "She'd probably kick my ass herself."

Mike nodded. "It's probably for the best. Plus, that guy's always packing that sword of his. And his dad is the principal. Really, I can only see pain and destruction coming from a confrontation with him."

Don kicked at a small rock on the sidewalk. "Yeah, you're probably right. It's really too bad, though. It woulda been so satisfying."

"I'm sure you'd have been the hero of Furinkan High for a day or two, as well." Mike smirked and shook his head. "But anyway, good luck to you with the peace mission."

"Thanks. So, I made an enemy and Alex saw a bear downtown..." Don nodded as Mike gave him a disbelieving look. "Yeah, I know. That's our boy. But anyway, how'd you fare on day one?"

"My day was mostly normal." Mike mused, before he remembered. He blinked twice. "Actually, now that you mention it, something did happen in class after lunch..." He looked troubled for a brief moment. "I had, like, a vision."

Don burst out laughing, after a beat. "A vision, huh? What'd you do, fall asleep?"

"No, this wasn't like a dream. It was so much more vivid than any dream I'd ever had. And I could swear I was using all five senses. It was almost real." Mike shook his head. "No, it definitely was a vision."

Don was still skeptical. "Okay, Tiresias, then what did you see?"

Mike blushed at the question, looking away from his friend. "I don't think that's relevant."

Seeing his friend's reaction, Don grinned. "Well, it is now. It might be important, right? You've just got to tell me."

Mike looked back at his friend to protest further, but saw a look of determination on Don's face that let him know he wasn't getting away with his secret. Mike sighed, relenting. "Okay, fine. It was Ukyo."

"That girl from the restaurant yesterday?"

Mike nodded. "Yeah, she was telling me to follow her. But it was all dark... I don't know where we were going." He looked at Don. "It only lasted a few seconds. Maybe a minute. I have no idea what it means."

"I think I have some idea. Clearly you're nuts about this girl you just met, and you're probably a crazy stalker." Don laughed, patting his friend on the back. "C'mon man, think about it."

Mike's cheeks reddened again. "You know what, forget about it. Maybe I did fall asleep."

Neither of them had noticed Nabiki eavesdropping a few steps behind. She smiled a bit at the new information, thinking of how to put it to good use.

Nabiki and Don arrived at Mr. Kanada's class much earlier than they had the previous day. So much earlier, in fact, that they found the room to be empty. That is, aside from Tatewaki Kuno, who had taken back his desk in spectacularly smarmy fashion. Upon hearing footsteps, he turned to face them, grinning upon seeing who had arrived.

"Ahh, Nabiki Tendo. Tell me, do you always intend to travel with scoundrels?" He laughed haughtily, causing Don's teeth to grind a bit. Nabiki noticed this, and nudged him gently with her elbow.

"Steady, now."

Don closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself a little. He then approached Kuno, finding his pride quite tough to swallow. "Okay, Kuno, I just wanted to say..." Even sitting down, Kuno was tall enough to be nearly at eye level with Don, which placed his look of smug satisfaction right in Don's line of sight. Don glanced up at the ceiling; this was going to be more difficult than he ever imagined. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for yesterday. I overreacted."

Kuno hmphed, giving a curt nod. "I should say you did, at that. To think that one such as you thought you could speak in such a manner to one of the great line of Kuno. However, I believe that I am feeling benevolent today, as I have reclaimed what is rightfully mine." He tapped his finger on the top of his desk for emphasis. "So long as you now realize that you should not act in such a way toward your superiors again, I shall forgive your transgressions, and forget that any of this nasty business ever occurred!" Kuno grinned, holding out his hand. "What do you say, hmm?"

Nabiki watched in silent horror as the back of Don's neck turned a bright crimson. Something told her that this was not going to end well.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't finished yet." Don looked down at Kuno's extended hand, resisting the urge to spit in it. "I _overreacted_ to the fact that you're a pompous halfwit whose parents were probably cousins. I _overreacted_ to the fact that your last brain cell is currently dying of loneliness. I _overreacted_ to the fact that you wouldn't know class even though you're currently in one." He growled. "You can forget apologies, you son of a bitch. This feud is officially on!"

Kuno rose quickly from his seat. He remained uncharacteristically calm. "Fine! If that's how you want it, then that is how you shall have it! But hear me well, Fournier: a feud with a member of the house of Kuno is a contract written in blood. And it shall only be washed away with the very same." He made his way toward the door, bumping the shorter boy with his arm on the way by. "You can expect to hear from me very soon."

Don turned and watched as Kuno made his way past the crowd of students that had gathered to watch their argument. He paused for a moment, nodding stiffly to Nabiki.

"Nabiki Tendo, you would do well to be more selective of the company you keep. It certainly reflects on your character."

A couple of larger boys moved to restrain Don as he made a move after Kuno with a snarl. The smirk of self satisfaction on Kuno's face was unbearably smug as he made his way past Mr. Kanada and into the hallway. The teacher turned toward him, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Mr. Kuno, are you coming back to class today?"

Nabiki looked at Don with a slight frown. "Well, so much for _that_ idea..."

Mike had spent the better part of Mr. Saito's opening lesson watching with feigned interest. It wasn't that he hated school. As a matter of fact, he quite enjoyed the learning process, and history (the current topic: feudal Japan and its lingering effects on modern Japanese society and culture) in particular. No, he was merely distracted by his vision from the day before.

Putting aside for the moment that it wasn't actually possible that he could influence Mr. Saito's decision with his mind, he couldn't help but wonder just what forces were at work here. He couldn't remember the details of the last dream he'd had. Heck, he could barely remember what he'd had for breakfast the day before. But he remembered everything about the vision. The smell of the beach, the temperature of the air, the way the light reflected in Ukyo's eyes as she looked toward him. It wasn't a dream, not a chance. But then, he wondered, what was it?

He looked over at Ukyo again, watching for a moment as she doodled in the margins of her notebook. Perhaps if he could recreate the conditions, he could replicate the results. He grinned, feeling rather scientific. With a deep breath, he turned back toward Mr. Saito. Closing his eyes, he tried to clear his mind of everything but Ukyo. He waited for a moment, waited for the world to slide away, for the sound of the teacher's lecture to fade out. But nothing happened.

He opened his eyes with a frown. This was going to bother him all day.

The early September air was quite warm today, Alex thought, as he stood on the sidelines of a gym class soccer match. He smiled serenely to himself. Ever since he'd arrived in Japan, he'd felt at such peace, even with the craziness going on around him. So the Tendos and Saotomes were quirky. And the school was kind of a weird place. It really didn't matter much. Even all of the things Akane told him about attacking Amazons and martial arts cooking competitions didn't worry him at all. He really loved it in Nerima already, and it had only been a few days.

And yet, something did feel a bit off.

He looked up at the clear, blue sky above with a small sigh. Something had been off for a long time. He never really could put his finger on it. He was happy with his life, mostly. He had a good family, a father with whom he'd traveled to exotic and exciting places, and great friends that he could trust and have a good time with. He never really wanted for anything, didn't have to worry about the stresses of poverty. But he didn't feel complete. It was as if there was a piece of him that was missing. No, maybe not missing. Maybe it had never been there. But, unfortunately, he had no idea what that piece was, or how to put it back into place.

He'd never really told his friends any of this. He wasn't sure how they would take it. He knew that he acted strangely, or at least strange to them, and that they sometimes didn't take him seriously. His aloofness was sometimes mistaken for his being simple. That didn't bother him, either. He knew how intelligent he really was, and even let it show sometimes. But in this situation, he wasn't confident his friends would understand. How could they, if he himself didn't?

He was quite excited when he'd been chosen for the trip, and not only because he'd always wanted to see Japan. He knew, at least from anecdotal evidence, that Japan was a place of wisdom. A place of many schools of thought. He knew that maybe, if he searched long and hard, he might find an answer to his problem in the land of the rising sun. He wanted to return to America with a different understanding of the world, and a new understanding of himself.

He blinked back to the real world, as he felt the ball bump against his foot. He grinned and kicked it back to the boy who had lost it, earning a happy wave for his trouble. With a determined nod, Alex ran out onto the field, pushing his problems aside once more. He would worry about them again another time.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful, save the occasional chatter around the school of the impending duel between Don and Kuno. No one had seen the latter boy for the rest of the school day, leaving Don to field all of the curious questions. He reacted to them with a predictable level of irritability. He spent his walk home railing against the insufferable nature of Tatewaki Kuno to Nabiki, Akane and Ranma, garnering nods of approval and supporting examples from the pigtailed boy. Alex, as usual, had peeled off from the group once the negativity began. Mike hadn't grown weary of it until around the tenth minute.

"You know what, guys? I've got a lot on my mind, I think I'm going to go for a walk."

The others stopped for a moment, looking back at him. Akane raised her eyebrows. "Do you know your way around? One of us can go with you, if you like."

Mike waved his hand dismissively. "I think I'll be okay. I'm sure if I ask where you guys live, someone will tell me where to go. It's a pretty small town for such a big city."

Akane smiled. "Well, okay. Just don't be late for dinner, okay? Kasumi wouldn't stand for it!"

Mike smiled back. "Tell her not to worry. I won't wander off too far."

He waved and took his leave from the group, pulling on a large pair of headphones, hoping to lose himself in the music. He'd been a swirling mess of emotions ever since they'd landed. And that made it difficult to be rational. He prided himself on his rationality. It was what had gotten him through many situations in the past. He was hoping that it would get him through the current set of situations.

However, none of what was happening seemed to be rational at all. Nothing they'd experienced was anything at all like he expected. He sighed, looking down the long street ahead. He'd always gone into every situation with a plan. Nothing happened by accident; it was all the result of analysis and careful execution. But how could he have an answer for crazy martial artists? What could he do about falling ass over teakettle for a girl he'd known for less than 72 hours and had interacted with for roughly an hour? And what would he do about the fact that he'd definitely had some sort of vision, the meaning of which he'd still yet to decipher? For the first time in as long as he could remember, he had no idea what to do.

He wandered aimlessly, sometimes with his eyes closed. Music was an escape for him, one he'd used on many an occasion to separate himself from a tight spot. It usually helped him if he looked at things from the outside. But something was keeping him from doing that this time. He just wasn't sure what that was right now. Another problem he'd have to solve.

Mike heaved a sigh and stopped walking. He glanced around at the surrounding streets, finding them to be more than a little familiar. Curiously, he looked up at the sign on the building he'd stopped in front of. And, with a slight smirk, he decided to go inside.

Don sat quietly in the dojo, having excused himself from dinner a little early. He'd hoped that Kasumi would understand, but he hadn't had an appetite all day. Not since Kuno had insulted him so badly. He'd entered the classroom fully prepared to bury the hatchet, against his better judgment. However, Kuno's attitude had seen to it that peace wouldn't be realized anytime soon. Don stared at the wall quietly, resolving himself to the fact that he would soon have a fight on his hands.

"So, are you really going through with this?"

Don turned to see Nabiki leaning in the doorway, wearing a look that was a mixture of curiosity and concern. He honestly wasn't sure what to make of her. She seemed to be worried about him, but at the same time, he'd noticed that the girl was detached from most things. He might even have described her as cold. But even for the son of a police officer, trained from a young age to observe, she was a hard read.

"You saw what happened, Nabiki. How am I supposed to just let that go? I've never been talked to like that in my entire life. Not by anyone. I'm not about to start letting myself be walked over now. I tried to come to a good solution for this. It's obvious he wasn't content to just end it. He needed to humiliate me first." Don scowled. "He just pushed a little too far."

She watched him quietly, her expression never changing, for a moment. Then her mouth curved downward slightly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about? I'm pretty pissed off at that idiot right now." He looked at her appraisingly for a moment. "You're not going to stick up for him, are you?"

Nabiki laughed lightly. "For Kuno? Please. He deserves whatever he gets for the way he treats women. I've known him since we were little kids, and I'd say we're..." She pondered it for a second or so. "Well, not friends, exactly, but something similar. But he chases my sister around relentlessly, all the while making passes at other women, even as he declares his 'undying love' for Akane. But even if you _do_ manage to beat him..." She paused, causing Don's eyebrows to raise.

"What?"

"Ranma's fought Kuno about a hundred times, Don. Kuno's had bones broken, head-to-toe bruises. He's had his ego smashed, his reputation tarnished. Hell, he's spent vast amounts of money trying to come up with ways to beat Ranma, all of which eventually failed. And you want to know something?" She sighed. "He still challenges Ranma every chance he gets. Comes after him with some new attack or scheme, some new weapon or dirty trick. Week after week, month after month. What makes you think you'll be any different?"

Don huffed, crossing his arms. "So let him come. I'm not going to back down from some bully with a superiority complex and a platinum card."

Nabiki looked him over for a minute. "You're really, really serious about this, aren't you?"

Don exhaled. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Nabiki shook her head. "You're an idiot."

"What'd you say?"

"You heard me! This is a really, really dumb thing to do. But, if you insist on following through, I suggest you talk to Ranma about it. If anyone's gonna help you beat Kuno without getting killed in the process, he'd be the one." She gave him one last calculating look. "But if I were you, I'd sleep on it."

She slid the door closed again, leaving Don to his thoughts. He had a lot more to think about now.

Daisuke and Hiroshi loved good food. Really, who doesn't? Luckily for them, Nerima was full of great places to eat. They enjoyed that food even more when it was prepared by cute girls. Needless to say, then, the pair often spent their meal money at Ucchan's. Tonight was no exception.

They sat at their corner table, enjoying their okonomiyaki, all the while admiring Ukyo at work. The restaurant was busy tonight. It usually was during the dinner rush. It wasn't rare for the two of them to see two dozen of their classmates, mostly male, come in for a dish of Ukyo's superb cooking. So, neither of them were overly surprised to see Mike enter that night, wearing a pair of headphones that would have looked at home in the Eighties.

"Hey, new kid!" Hiroshi called over to him, and surprisingly caught his attention over the sound of his music and the din of the crowd. He waved for Mike to come to their table, which the boy did, sliding the headphones down around his neck.

"Hey, you're Ranma's friends, right?"

Daisuke nodded. "Yeah, we met the other day. I guess even Americans can appreciate this place, huh?"

Mike grinned. "Oh yeah. We came here right after we got off the bus from the airport. I'm totally a fan." He glanced over his shoulder at Ukyo, who was busy over her grill, his grin widening just a little. He then turned back to the boys. "Yeah, definitely a fan."

Hiroshi and Daisuke exchanged glances for a moment. Mike could once again tell that they were communicating wordlessly. The two of them were like twins from different mothers. After a moment's silence, they turned back to him. Daisuke motioned to the chair opposite him. "Why don't you have a seat?"

Mike obliged. "Uh, thanks." 

"Don't mention it." Daisuke leaned forward on the table. "My associate and I couldn't help but notice that maybe you're here for more than just okonomiyaki." Hiroshi nodded to show his agreement.

Mike blushed a little, but did his best to deny this assertion. "I don't know what you mean by that. I'm just here for dinner, that's all."

"Uh huh." Hiroshi shook his head. "There's enough of _that_ going on around here that we know the look when we see it. You can deny it all you want. Honestly, it doesn't make a difference to us whether or not you're here to eat or to ask her out."

Mike started to stammer a response, but Daisuke cut him off. "Not at all. But we figured we'd offer you a little advice."

The two boys stared at Mike with a mild intensity. He got the feeling that whatever they were about to say, they knew what they were talking about. He leaned forward with genuine interest. "Okay, well... let me have it then."

Hiroshi nodded. "There are a lot of girls in Nerima. I don't think there's an ugly one in the bunch."

"You could throw a stone and hit a dozen lookers in this town..."

"But if you're looking to land Ukyo Kuonji... proceed with caution."

"That girl's got a lot of baggage."

"And honestly, we're not sure you're prepared for any of it."

Mike looked between the two again, wide-eyed. "Wait, what kind of baggage?"

Daisuke shook his head. "Not our business to say."

"Afraid you'll have to get that from the source yourself. But, if I were you..." 

"... I would try to be her friend first. Get to know her before you do something stupid."

"You wouldn't want to get in over your head, would you?" Hiroshi finished, and the two of them leaned back in their seats, crossing their arms. Mike was genuinely impressed with their conversational coordination. And, he took their words quite seriously. Maybe this was the kick of rationality he needed tonight.

"You know what, you guys? You're right." He smiled slightly, looking back over his shoulder again. This time, she spotted him and waved, smiling brightly. Mike waved back, before returning his attention to the twin sages. "I think you guys were just what I needed. Thanks!"

The two boys looked at each other again, confused.

"You're..."

"... welcome?"

Mike grinned, standing up and making his way over to the counter. "Hey, Ukyo! House special?"

Late that night, Ranma lay in his room, staring at the ceiling. The sound of his father snoring beside him had kept him up. Normally, it wouldn't bother him, as used to it as he was. However, tonight his mind was distracted. It was enough for him to notice even the slightest noise in the dark.

He thought about his argument with Mr. Tendo that morning. How adamant the man was that Ranma not get involved with the robberies around town. For a moment, he thought he'd seen a flash in the man that had been absent for as long as he'd known him. Sure, Soun would occasionally chase Ranma around the house for this transgression or another. Sometimes he'd even use his battle aura to create that demon head of his. But this morning was different. He thought for sure that this time, Soun had actually gotten angry.

It wasn't that Ranma hadn't seen emotion out of Soun before. He'd seen the man cry more times than he cared to remember. But this time wasn't anything like that. There was fire behind his words. Determination. It would have been impressive, if it wasn't so damn infuriating.

As for Ranma himself, he hadn't meant to call Soun a coward. He was sure to apologize for that over dinner. Soun, in turn, apologized for his outburst, but said little else. It was quite obvious to the pigtailed boy that he was standing firm in his opinion. Ranma had to admit, when it came to his family, Soun was uncompromising. A small smile crossed his lips. It was more than he could say about his own Pops.

A sound suddenly snapped Ranma to attention. It wasn't much, no more than the crunch of gravel under foot, but it was enough for Ranma to bolt upright. Everyone in the house was accounted for, even if Mike had come home long after dinner was finished. Someone else was outside, in the yard somewhere. He slowly and quietly rose to his feet, making his way to the window to investigate. He could see a shadow moving, over by the dojo. Climbing out the window as quietly as he could manage, he started in that direction, sticking to the darkness.

The figure was creeping carefully along, making it obvious to Ranma that they weren't familiar enough with the layout to move with any confidence. He got as close as he could manage without drawing the figure's attention, before calling out. "Hey! What are you doing?"

The figure started, turning toward him. The response was a hissed whisper. "Ranma? Is that you?"

Ranma winced, barely making out the figure of Don in the shroud of shadow. "What are you doing out here?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I was sitting awake in the dojo. I heard footsteps. I think there's someone here. Could be Kuno."

"Or those bank robber guys. We find 'em, we pound them into the dirt. You with me?"

Don nodded. "Let's do this. I've got all kinds of aggression to funnel out."

The two boys moved through the moonlight, looking around for any signs of an intruder. But there were no more sounds, and no traces that anything was amiss. It seemed that they were both mistaken. But how could that be? Don gave a shrug to Ranma after ten minutes of searching. "Maybe we were wrong..."

Ranma frowned. "Maybe..." But then, something caught his eye. It was the slightest of movements, like a breeze through grass, but it was enough. His sharp senses picked out the silhouette of a very short figure, pressed against the dojo wall. He pointed. "There!"

The figure bolted, and the two boys gave chase. Whatever or whoever it was, they were quick on their feet and very agile, bouncing around in erratic patterns. Don and Ranma rushed to keep up, as the figure bounded toward a tree, making its way up the trunk in two leaps. Ranma followed suit, but Don's foot caught up in a root, sending him crashing loudly to the ground.

The figure rushed along the wall, trying to outdistance Ranma. However, the pigtailed boy was closing the gap in a hurry. In a desperate move, the figure quickly turned and threw something at Ranma. A glint of metal in the moonlight revealed it to him: a bucket of water. The boy dove off of the wall to avoid it, rolling to his feet in the grassy yard as the water splashed harmlessly to the ground. He watched as the figure disappeared over the rooftops, cursing himself silently for valuing his pride over catching the intruder. He turned and hurried over to Don, who was nursing his ankle.

"Ranma, what the hell was that?"

"I have a guess..." Just then, something on the tree caught his eye, shining a bit in the light. He pulled the knife from the trunk, and removed the piece of parchment that was impaled on it. He held it out into the illumination of the moon, squinting a bit as he read. After a moment, he held it out to Don.

"It's for you."


	5. One Week

**Chapter Five**

"'To the uncouth blaggard, Fournier.' Oh, here we go..." Don rolled his eyes and shook his head. His two friends and Ranma sat with him in the dojo as he read the letter from Kuno. Ranma sat, arms crossed and listening intently. Mike looked on with a bit of disappointment, both in the situation and in his friend's inability to keep his cool. Alex, on the other hand, couldn't help but smirk just a little. Don took a deep breath and continued.

"'As you are so determined to make a mortal enemy of Tatewaki Kuno, the Crashing Typhoon of Furinkan High School, I have decided that I am more than happy to oblige you. No longer will I stand idly by as you belittle the honorable name of Kuno in front of our peers. As such, I hereby officially challenge you to a duel, to be carried out one week from today. You shall meet me, no later than four in the afternoon, in the park by the public library. If you desire to back out of this contest of mettle between men, though I highly doubt you have _any senses to come back to_, you need only to beg for my forgiveness. On your knees would be appreciated, with the proper level of grovelling. No need to go overboard. Should you accept your responsibilities as a man, I should expect an acceptance letter in return. Do not keep me waiting. Signed, Tatewaki Kuno.'" Don looked up at the other boys, the fury in his eyes unmistakable.

Ranma leaned forward a bit. "That's pretty typical for Kuno, t'be perfectly honest. Was that all he wrote?"

Don shook his head. "Well, no, but I didn't understand the last part, really."

"Well, what's it say?" Alex had just finished giggling to himself at Kuno's letter. As worried as he was for his friend, the pomposity of his adversary was highly entertaining.

Don squinted at the line of text. "'P.S. - Tell Akane Tendo that I have not forgotten about her, and that I shall return to my mission of liberating her from the vile Saotome as soon as I have administered your proper thrashing.'"

Ranma slapped his hand to his forehead and groaned. "Oh, he _would _write that. Jackass."

"What's it mean?" Don asked, with a shrug.

"Don't worry about it." Ranma shook his head. "Look, you need to decide right now whether or not you're actually gonna go through with fightin' Kuno. I can't blame ya if you say yes, but you've gotta know some things about him up front before ya decide to actually challenge him."

"Okay, shoot." Don set the letter down, watching Ranma closely.

"First off, the guy never quits. Never. It ain't gonna do ya much good to just knock him down, you're gonna have to take him out. And if ya do manage to win this fight, be prepared for more." Ranma was all business now; there was a level of what was almost respect in his voice as he spoke about Kuno's determination.

Don crossed his arms. "Nabiki told me that much. Even before this stupid letter, I was perfectly okay with the consequences. After reading this, though, I'm really determined to kick his ass."

"Okay then." Ranma said calmly. "Second thing: Kuno's strong. Really strong. And he's skilled with that bokken of his. He's managed to hurt me a few times, and it's never fun. I've seen him break stone just with the force of the air pressure from that thing. There's a pretty good chance that you're gonna get hurt. Are you ready for that?"

"I've been hurt before..." Don started, but was interrupted by an irritated Mike.

"That's some macho crap, Don. I thought you were gonna apologize to this guy. I really don't think fighting's the way to go."

Don frowned at his friend. "So what do you suggest I do, then, talk him to death? I tried to talk to him, I went in today fully ready to apologize and let this all go. But you didn't see the way he treated me. You didn't hear the way he went on about how he was _better_ than me. Why, because he's got money? Status?" Don's face was red, his anger apparent. But this was more than just Don's standard anger. "No, I'm not gonna let it stand. No one's gonna treat me like that. Consequences be damned!"

Mike was taken aback by his friend's display. He frowned, feeling a bit ashamed for admonishing Don. "Hey, man... I'm sorry, I didn't think..."

"We're all just tired..." Alex chimed in, nodding at his two friends. "It's late, it's been a long day. Maybe we ought to just get some sleep and worry about all this stuff tomorrow." His easy manner seemed to calm the tension between Don and Mike, both of whom nodded in agreement.

Ranma stood up. "Well, if you're gonna fight Kuno, I suggest you train up. Have you ever _been _in a fight before?"

Don pondered for a moment. "Well, once in fourth grade. I _am_ on the wrestling team, but I figure those skills won't really translate to a straight, no-rules fight so well."

"Well, Akane'll be in here training over the weekend. I bet she can teach you a thing or two about fighting Kuno. She's done it almost as much as I have, and never lost, either. She'll probably be happy to help you." Ranma made his way for the door. "She's a little klutzy, though, so try not to get hurt..."

Don raised an eyebrow. "What about you? Why don't you help me out?"

Ranma turned back toward him with a frown. "I ain't much of a teacher, man." He headed back out into the night, leaving the three Americans behind in awkward silence. Alex looked between his friends, noticing that there was still some bad vibes between them. Thinking quickly, he picked up Kuno's letter with a smirk.

"Hey, check this out!" He cleared his throat and began to read, in the most haughty British accent he could manage. "To the uncouth _blaggard_, Fourni-ayyy..."

The three of them laughed loudly. Alex knew everything would be okay, for now.

Sasuke Sarugakure huffed and puffed as he made his way across Nerima toward the Kuno residence. His master would be most pleased, thought the diminutive ninja, skipping across a rooftop. He had successfully carried out his mission to infiltrate the Tendo residence and deliver the letter of challenge to the one known only as Fournier. And, he noted, he'd also managed to escape the pursuit of Ranma Saotome. A rare occurrence indeed. Yes indeed, thought Sasuke, leaping from a chimney, Master Kuno will be supremely pleased. Probably.

He landed softly in the grass within the walls of the Kuno estate. The light from Tatewaki's window was the only illumination, and he made his way toward it. He spotted Kuno, in full formal samurai regalia, practicing his bokken forms in front of the mirror. Sasuke entered through the window, bowing low.

"I have returned, Master Kuno, from my mission! I have delivered your message!"

Kuno turned toward his servant with a grin. "You have done quite well, Sasuke."

"I also managed to avoid capture by both Fournier and Ranma Saotome without injury!"

Kuno pondered this for a moment, before turning back to the mirror with a shrug. "Meh."

The small ninja remained undaunted, rising to his feet. "I am sure that the American will meet his doom by your hands, Master Kuno."

"Indeed." Kuno stared at his reflection, drinking in his own majesty. "He is no warrior, that much is certain. He is a nuisance. A cretin. An insect! He will pay for his disrespect of our name. The Kuno family shall not stand for such irreverence! When we meet on the field of battle, and I am _hoping_ that we do, I shall show him the full fury of my ancestors! I will reduce him to mere rubble with a single swing of this weapon!" For emphasis, he swung his bokken mightily, rending the mirror before him in two in an impressive shower of broken glass. He gritted his teeth, turning toward Sasuke. "Furinkan is _my _territory, and I shall defend it with all of my might. I will not have my reputation further tarnished by such a lowly peon as that American. In one week, I shall destroy him!"

Sasuke cowered a bit before the apparent fury of his master, who towered over the meek servant. "Y-yes, Master Kuno, he hasn't a chance to survive!"

"Not a chance in Hell!" Kuno bellowed. He then took a deep breath, placing the tip of his bokken against the floor. "But now, it is time for bed!"

Sasuke rose quickly, bounding over to Kuno's closet. "Yes, Master Kuno needs his rest!" He opened the door, scanning over the long row of neatly-hung outfits within. "Would you like the red pajamas, or the blue?"

"Blue, Sasuke, of course!" Kuno replied, as if he'd never heard a more ridiculous question in his life. "It is Friday, after all!"

Ryoga Hibiki stared at the ceiling of his small cabin room, laying on the thin mattress of the provided bed as the boat bobbed over the waves of the Sea of Japan. He had traveled nonstop in pursuit of Ranma after getting directions from the strange boy at the Tendo dojo. His journey brought him, exhausted, to a small port on Toyama Bay. Clearly, thought Ryoga, Ranma was heading back to China. So, he gathered up the meager money he had and purchased a ticket on the next boat leaving. He wasn't exactly sure where Vladivostok was, but he knew he'd find his way to China from there, eventually.

He closed his eyes, sighing. He had been following Ranma for what seemed like forever. He'd traveled over every inch of Japan, and probably most of China, chasing after his nemesis. He knew the geography of both of these places very well. He could tell where he was by the dialect people spoke, or by the types of food he could purchase. Hell, he could even tell you that to get from Aomori to Yamagata, you had to travel through Akita. But something still didn't click for Ryoga. He'd still somehow end up in Nagano.

Ryoga rolled over onto his side, facing the wall. Maybe he needed to put his search for Ranma on hold until he'd dealt with his own problems. He was always chastising Ranma for being the same selfish cad he'd been since the day he'd taken all the bread during their lunch break. The day he'd first humiliated Ryoga. And then he'd knocked Ryoga into that damn spring at Jusenkyo. And then, of course, there was Akane...

Ryoga shouted and punched the wall, putting a considerable dent in the steel. Self-improvement could wait a while longer. Finding Ranma again was his first priority. He settled in and attempted to sleep. He was going to need his rest to find his rival.

The next morning, Don was the first one out of bed. He groaned; his body was still pretty sore from his fall. Slowly rising to his feet, he noticed that his ankle was still in a good deal of pain, as well. "Great..." He muttered. He couldn't believe he'd been so clumsy. He tiptoed around his still sleeping friends, pushing the door to the courtyard open as quietly as he could manage.

He had barely slept at all, fuming over Kuno the way he was. Back home, Don was generally well-liked. He certainly didn't have anything in the way of an enemy, so far as he knew. Even with his hot-headed reactions to stress and adversity, his friends generally just laughed it off. It would figure that he'd hardly spent a day in Japan before running afoul of someone who wanted to pound him into the ground.

Hearing some stirring inside the Tendo house, he made his way inside, gingerly moving up the stairs. He noticed Kasumi was already up and starting on family breakfast. He admired her devotion for a moment. He himself didn't really have his mother around growing up. He smiled wistfully, but didn't wish to disturb the girl while she worked, so he moved on.

"Good morning, Don."

He turned slowly, not wishing to further aggravate any of his injuries. Akane was there, wearing her jogging clothes and smiling politely. "Up pretty early, I see."

He nodded, grimacing. "Yeah... kind of a rough night. I see you and your sister are pretty early risers, too."

Akane returned the nod. "Well, Kasumi takes it upon herself to make breakfast for six every morning, usually. Now that it's breakfast for nine, she's extra determined." She laughed a little. "She just wants to be a good hostess. She takes pride in it, really."

"As well she should. Your sister's cooking is phenomenal. Bet it runs in the family, too, huh?" He grinned. Akane laughed nervously. Don appraised her for a moment. "Going for a run this morning?"

"Yeah! Nothing starts the day off like a nice run. Gets the blood flowing, you know?" Akane smiled again. "You can come along, if you want to. It's always better to have company, right?"

Don winced at the mere thought of going for a run in his condition. Akane was watching him expectantly. What if Ranma had already suggested she train him for the fight, Don thought to himself. What if this was some sort of test of his will? He gritted his teeth and nodded. "Yeah, you know what? I'll come along. Let me go get changed and I'll join you."

Akane grinned. "All right, I'll meet you out front, okay?"

Don agreed, before heading back toward the dojo. On the way there, he came across Alex, who was awake uncharacteristically early. Don quirked an eyebrow at his friend. "What are you doing up?"

Alex shrugged, looking as sleepy as he ever did. "Didn't feel like sleeping anymore. Plus I can smell Kasumi's cooking. My stomach's growling." He looked his friend up and down. Don looked like death warmed over. "Where are you going?"

Don frowned, already regretting letting his pride stand in the way of his common sense again. "For a run. I'll see you later, okay?"

Alex gave his friend a nod. "Yeah, all right..." He watched as Don made his way slowly to the dojo, shaking his head. The shaggy-haired boy then made his way into the Tendo house, heading straight for the kitchen.

Kasumi had just set a pan on to fry when she saw Alex in the doorway. She smiled politely. "Good morning, Alexander! I do hope you're hungry this morning!"

Alex laughed and nodded. "Always! Don't worry, Miss Kasumi, no matter what you make, I'll be sure to enjoy it."

The eldest Tendo daughter looked pleased. "I'm glad to hear that." Suddenly, her eyebrows went up. "Oh my, I just remembered! It will be a while yet before breakfast is ready." She tilted her head toward the boy. "Would you mind taking care of an errand for me this morning?"

"Sure, why not?" The boy shrugged. It was awfully easy to want to do things for Kasumi, sweet as she was. "You name it."

Kasumi took a box from the counter and brought it over to the boy. "Could you please take this to Dr. Tofu's office for me? I would have done it myself, but I'm not sure that I will have the time. I would be greatly appreciative if you brought it to him!"

Alex took the box and nodded. "Sure thing, Miss Kasumi. I'll make sure that it gets to him safely."

Kasumi beamed. "Why thank you, Alexander!" She turned back to her cooking, but suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, and one more thing! Tell him that I would be happy to have both he and his cousin as guests for dinner soon. He's said such wonderful things about her, and I would love to meet her!"

Alex took a mental note of this. "Cousin. Yeah, got it. Anything else?"

Kasumi pondered the question for a moment. "Well, you should be careful out there. You never know who you might come across. Ranma and Akane have a lot of..." Kasumi didn't want to say 'enemies.' She _certainly_ didn't want to say 'psychotic stalkers.' She nodded, carefully choosing the term she wanted. "... spirited friends."

Alex raised an eyebrow, considering this. "Thank you, I will... I'll be back in time for breakfast, okay?" With one last polite smile to his hostess, he turned and headed off into the Neriman streets.

To his surprise, Mike was the last of his friends to wake up. Noticing the two empty cots,he blinked. "Well, that's a first." He rose, gathering up his duffel bag and wondering to himself whether or not the bath would be open. Sliding the door open, he noticed that the air this morning was still pretty warm for Autumn. T-shirt weather would always be fine with him.

Most of the house's occupants were up and around by now, in varying stages of waking up. He gave a hello to Kasumi, who responded cheerfully, as well as to Soun and Ranma, who were not so cheerful as groggy. He noted that both of his American companions were missing, as well as Akane. He briefly wondered where they'd gone, rounding the corner toward where the bath was. He was met by Nabiki Tendo, leaning against the wall with her cup of coffee in hand.

"Mornin', Garrett."

Mike made his way for the door. "Good morning, Miss Tendo." She held her arm out to block him, causing him to stop. He set his bag down on the floor. "What's the matter, is someone in there?"

She nodded in answer. "Yeah, Ranma's dad. Trust me, that's the worst-case-scenario for washroom walk-ins." Considering his options, Mike had to nod in agreement. Nabiki continued, "But that's not why I stopped you."

He raised an eyebrow curiously. "Okay, then. Is there something you needed to talk to me about?"

"I overheard you and Don talking on the way to school yesterday..." She sipped her coffee, looking at him ominously over the top of the cup. His cheeks reddened, confirming her suspicions. She grinned. "I thought so. Anyway, I thought that maybe I could offer you some assistance? After all, you're new here and you don't really know anybody. But I do..."

Mike cleared his throat a bit, trying to calm himself. "And just what are you proposing, Miss Tendo?"

"Please, call me Nabiki." She started, clearly not approving of the formality. "And what I'm proposing is a bit of a... business arrangement, I suppose?"

Mike crossed his arms. "What kind of business?"

"Information brokerage, of course! Knowledge is power, you know..." She noted the expression on the boy's face. He was definitely intrigued, but there was something else there that she couldn't put her finger on. She continued her pitch, undaunted. "There's a lot more going on around here than you know, Mike. Now, you could do things the normal way: stumbling obliviously through all the craziness that happens around here, possibly getting grievously injured in the process and feeling like a fool when you uncover the truth about things." She smirked. "Or, you could just ask me, and I'll bring you up to speed."

"Something tells me there's a catch here, Nabiki." Mike's tone was certainly one of skeptical interest. Nabiki felt she had him right where she wanted him.

"What do you mean by that? There's no catch. I _told_ you this would be business. Everything has a price, Mike. The more you show, the more you'll know." Nabiki smiled sweetly, totally belying her mercenary nature. "So, what do you say?"

Mike tilted his head. "Well, I _do_ hate not knowing what's going on around here... the problem is..." He smiled a little. "I don't really have a lot of money."

Nabiki looked at him blankly. "How much is not a lot here?"

Mike rifled through his pockets, taking out a wad of wrinkled bills. He counted them as she watched, incredulously. "Twelve dollars."

"Twelve dollars?" She calculated the conversion instantly in her head. "That's not even a thousand yen!"

He shrugged. "It's all I've got. Sorry!" He smirked. "What'll it buy me?"

Nabiki mumbled, clearly disappointed. "Twelve bucks... you've got to be kidding me." Then, suddenly, she grinned. "You know what, I _do_ have something that's worth about twelve bucks."

Mike regarded her grin for a moment, before curiously handing over his money. "All right, then, what've you got?"

She laughed, counting her meager gain for the day. "Ask her what she thinks about Shampoo."

"The, uh..." He furrowed his eyebrows. "The hair care product?"

Nabiki smirked at him, taking another sip of her coffee. "Now, now... further clarification would cost you at _least_ another dollar, Mr. Rockefeller. If you want answers for free, you'll have to ask Ukyo yourself." She patted him on the shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got other matters to attend to." She walked off toward the dining room, laughing a little. "Enjoy your day!"

Mike watched her go in mild confusion. What exactly was the significance of Shampoo? And why was Nabiki so proud of that answer? As he pondered, Genma emerged from the washroom. He patted Mike on the shoulder, apparently having heard the entire conversation.

"Better wear a helmet, boy." He advised, in his most deep and sagely voice possible. He then followed Nabiki down the hall, leaving Mike behind in quiet bewilderment.

Alex approached Dr. Tofu's office with a smile, spotting the doctor sweeping off his walkway on his own today. The boy walked up to the doctor with a polite bow. "Good morning, Doctor. No assistant today?"

Tofu smiled at him. "Oh, good morning!" He laughed, looking down at his broom. "No, I'm afraid Mr. Saotome doesn't usually make it on the weekends. It's really a pity, I could really use his help sometimes." The doctor eyed the box. "Did you bring something for me today?"

Alex nodded, handing it over. "Yeah, I did. It's from Kasumi..."

Dr. Tofu's expression brightened tenfold, taking Alex aback. The doctor's glasses fogged up. "Kasumi sent me a gift? Why, I wonder what it could be!" The doctor began to dance around in front of his office, holding the box over his head and humming merrily. Alex watched as the grown man pirouetted and pranced around for a full minute, before taking a flying leap straight into a nearby bush.

Alex hurried over. "Doctor, are you okay?"

Tofu's head popped up, covered in leaves and twigs. "Me? I'm fine. I'm great!" He laughed nervously as he emerged from the shrubbery, taking a good amount of foliage with him. "Kasumi sent me a gift, so clearly she's been thinking about me!" He erupted into a peal of giggles at the idea of the eldest Tendo daughter showering him with affection.

"Don't mind him..." Came a voice from the doorway. A young girl with short black hair framing her face and a slightly weary expression made her way down the stairs. "All the men in our family get that way when they're in love."

"It's really quite impressive." Alex remarked, as Dr. Tofu began to do laps around the building, carrying the box out in front of him. "He must really be crazy about her."

"He's crazy, all right. He might end up killing a patient if he keeps that up." She gave Alex a glance. "You're that American guy from my class, aren't you?"

Alex blinked. "Am I?"

"You don't know who you are?"

The boy laughed. "Oh, I know who I am. I just don't know who _you _are."

The girl smirked sarcastically. "You really _are_ slow, aren't you?"

"So they say."

"I'm Aki Ono, Dr. Tofu's cousin." She put her hands on her hips. "I also happen to sit about three desks away from you in class. You mean to tell me you don't have any idea who I am?"

Alex shrugged. "Don't take it personally. I haven't really met anyone aside from my host family and the doctor here..." He tilted his head. "Are you a doctor, too?"

She gave him a disbelieving look. "I'm sixteen years old. How could I be a doctor?"

"Stranger things have happened..." Alex noted, motioning toward Dr. Tofu, who was currently dancing around with his model skeleton, Betty.

Aki giggled, in spite of herself. "Point taken."

Alex glanced down at his watch. "Well, I need to hurry back to the Tendos' place for breakfast, but it was nice meeting you, Aki." He smiled. "Oh! And Kasumi said that she'd love to have you two over for dinner sometime."

"You _do_ see what he's doing right now, don't you? Do you _really_ think that's a good idea?" Aki looked slightly embarrassed of the doctor's behavior. Alex couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, if you change your mind, you'd make Kasumi really happy." He smiled at the girl. "I'll see you in class, I guess." Alex gave her a wave, and set off down the street.

Aki turned to her cousin, shaking her head. "All right, cousin! Let's get you and Betty inside and see what the nice girl gave you."

Akane and Don returned from their run a little later in the morning. The girl had run Don positively ragged, and looked no worse for the wear.

"You don't do this very often, do you?" She asked, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow with a towel. "It was only eight kilometers, not really that much of a run at all!"

Don huffed and puffed, every inch of his body sore. "I admit, it's been a while..." He panted, his lungs crying out for a respite. "But still, it felt... it felt pretty good."

Akane watched him skeptically. "Uh huh. Well, I appreciated having a run buddy, but you don't have to come along anymore if you don't want to."

Don rose quickly, wide-eyed. "No! I'm totally down to go with you every morning. I'm not going to give up. It's all part of my training, right?"

Akane looked at him with confusion. "What training? What are you talking about?"

Don's eyebrows went up. "You know, for my fight with Kuno. Ranma said that you'd train me so that I don't get killed next Friday."

"He said _what_?" Akane's eyebrow twitched with annoyance, causing Don to back up a few steps. She turned toward the house. "Ranma, I need to talk to you!"

Ranma and Mike had been sitting by the table, chatting with Nabiki and Genma. Ranma winced at the sound of Akane's shouting. "Well, looks like my fun's over for the day." He rose and headed outside. Mike followed closely behind.

Akane glared at Ranma when he emerged from the house. "There you are! Did you tell him that _I _would train him for his fight with Kuno?"

Ranma nodded, matter-of-factly. "Well, yeah. Why wouldn't you? You've fought Kuno about a hundred times."

"What makes you think that I'd be a good teacher? And besides, I actually _do_ my homework and help around the house, unlike _someone_ I know. Where am I going to find the time?" Akane's hands went to her hips as she stared down the pigtailed martial artist. Ranma began to reply, but Mike tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, do you _really_ think she's the best one for the job?" Mike's inquiry was in all seriousness. Ranma could tell that there was a good deal of concern for his friend in the question. The pigtailed boy nodded his reply, causing Mike to grin. "Okay, leave this to me, then."

Mike stepped in between Ranma and Akane, shaking his head. "Ranma said you probably wouldn't do it. And that even if you did, you'd never make him good enough to beat Kuno!"

Ranma stepped forward angrily. "Hey, wait, I didn't say..."

"Oh, he _did_, did he?" Akane's eyes grew furious, and she turned to Don. "Okay then, if that's the case. I accept you as my student! I'm going to teach you how to beat Kuno before Friday. And when you do, Ranma's going to see the value of hard work and dedication! Meet me in the dojo at eight tonight. Your first lesson starts then!" She stomped toward the house and past Ranma, to whom she stuck out her tongue, before heading inside.

Ranma gave Mike a puzzled look. "What'd ya do that for?"

Mike grinned to Ranma as Don stepped forward to join them. "Reverse psychology. Works every time."

Not long after, everyone was gathered around the breakfast table, enjoying the fruits of Kasumi's hard work and chatting about what should be done today. Even Akane had calmed considerably after her bath, but still managed to shoot Ranma a dirty look every now and then.

Mike, however, sat quietly, lost in his own thoughts. He had been pondering Nabiki's words to him ever since she said them, giving little thought to little else. It was obvious that whatever or whoever Shampoo was, Nabiki wasn't talking Head and Shoulders. He sighed, resigning himself to the fact that the only way to get to the bottom of this mystery would be talking to Ukyo directly. He hoped that the answer he received would be something akin to good news.

"Mike... Hey, Mike, are you with us?"

The boy snapped out of his deep thought, turning toward Don, who had been addressing him. "Uh, yeah, what's up?"

"Okay, weird..." Don blinked at his friend, clearly worried. "I said that Nabiki and Akane were talking about going to the beach today. Might be the last chance this year, weather warm as it is this weekend. Do you want to go along?"

Mike stared at his friend quietly for a moment. The beach. He swore that he could smell the beach.


	6. Little Secrets

**Chapter Six**

"Are you sure you don't want to come, boy?" Genma Saotome asked his son, all the while applying sunscreen to the top of his very much bald head. "I thought that you enjoyed the beach."

Ranma crossed his arms, giving his father a look of annoyance. "I _do_ like the beach, Pops. But in case you've forgotten, cold water does bad things to you an' me. And there's a whole lot of that at the beach."

"Are you still worried about that?" Genma laughed off Ranma's concerns. "You're not going to be able to keep your curse a secret forever, Ranma. You know that we attract water like magnets. Honestly, I'm amazed those boys haven't figured it out already..."

"No thanks to you in that regard. Do ya gotta keep playing panda when you go over to Doc Tofu's?" Ranma frowned deeply. "I'm pretty sure that Mike or Don would have put two an' two together that day."

Genma rose to his feet slowly. "You can't hide from your problems forever, son."

"Look, Pops... I don't know if I can even trust these guys yet." Ranma began to pace in front of his father. "Who knows how they're gonna react when they find out about the Jusenkyo thing? I didn't want _anyone_ to find out about it, period."

"And yet, everyone here knows about it. Everyone at your _school_ knows about it." Genma retied his bandana around his head. "So what does it matter if three more people know about it?"

Ranma gritted his teeth. "It's just embarassin', okay? I ain't gonna go and flaunt it in front of them. I sure as hell ain't proud of it."

"Your pride is obviously the problem here!" Genma crossed his arms, appraising his son for a moment. "I thought you were over this."

Ranma stared his father down. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't flaunt the panda thing in front of them, neither. If they figure it out on their own, fine. Just do me a favor and don't go showin' off, okay?"

His mouth twisting into a frown, Genma closed his eyes and nodded. "Fine, I'll stay out of the water. But you're going to have to learn to accept this curse of yours, boy. It doesn't look to be going away any time soon, and as long as you're embarrassed of it, it will always be a weakness." Ranma's eyebrow twitched, as Genma turned to follow the rest of the party to the beach. "Just remember that, son."

As his father walked away, Ranma rubbed the back of his neck with a frown. "Stupid old man..."

It was just after noon when the Tendos and company arrived at the beach. Mike and Don had joined Genma, Soun and the Tendo daughters on the journey. The seven of them made their way through the crowds on the sand, looking for a place to set up.

"My, it's crowded!" Kasumi remarked, glancing around at all the people who had decided to take advantage of the last good beach day of the year. "I do hope that we find a good spot. I'd been hoping to do a bit of tanning today."

Soun nodded in agreement. "Indeed, that would be nice. A healthy bit of sunshine before the cool air moves in." He looked around, noticing how many male beachgoers were looking their way. His lips curled to a frown. "Yes, I do wish it weren't _quite_ so crowded today."

"No, this is perfect..." Mike was scanning over the crowds, not overly concerned about the attention being lavished upon the daughters Tendo. The whole thing felt so familiar to him now: the sound of the waves, the smell of the ocean air; even the temperature was right. It all matched what he had seen in class the other day. There were only a few things missing. "... the odds are better this way."

"The odds of what?" Don had insisted on carrying most of the assembly's beach supplies, much to the chagrin of his aching body. He honestly couldn't even tell himself what he was trying to accomplish by putting himself through so much punishment. Maybe it was a way to atone for his anger? He shook his head. "I don't know..."

Nabiki suddenly pointed to the last piece of pristine beach left. "There it is. Let's go and claim it before some tourist does!" She suddenly grabbed Don's arm, pulling him along through the sand. Every step was harder than the last, but he pushed himself through the pain. Nabiki grinned as they reached the spot before it could be taken, grabbing the beach umbrella that had been under Don's arm. "I claim this land in the name of the Tendo clan!" She punctuated by planting the umbrella in the sand with a triumphant giggle.

"Good eye, Nabiki!" Genma grinned. "Maybe you should look into real estate."

"Don't think I haven't thought about it..." She mumbled in reply.

As the rest of the group began setting up for their day at the beach, Mike was still walking and looking over the throngs of happy sunbathers and frisbee throwers. Don watched after him in confusion. "What are you doing over there, dude?"

Mike looked back, raising his eyebrows. "Uh, I'm just going to check out the layout around here, okay? Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure, Michael?" Kasumi seemed genuinely concerned. "It's a big beach, I wouldn't want us to lose you."

"Don't worry, I'll just look for the big red umbrella!" Mike laughed, noticing the fact that one out of every three umbrellas was red. "Don't worry, I've got a great sense of direction! Just relax and enjoy yourselves!" He waved and wandered off across the hot sand.

Don watched his friend head off with a frown. "Wow, he's really acting odd lately."

"Yeah, yeah, he's a weird one all right!" Nabiki responded with disinterest, before taking Don's arm in her hand. The boy looked back at her with a bit of surprise, meeting her sweetest smile. "How about you and I go take a walk ourselves? There are some really nice shops around here that I've been dying to check out!"

Don's eyebrows furrowed. "Shops? Well, I don't..."

"Don't be silly, come on!" The girl tugged the still hurting American along, leading him to wonder if he shouldn't have just begged Kuno for forgiveness.

Ranma clenched his fists tightly at his sides, staring down a large boulder in the courtyard of the Tendo school. He was still fuming from his conversation with his father. He wasn't surprised that his old man didn't understand what he was going through. After all, Genma Saotome had no shame. He had no problem going around in public in his cursed form. Most people reacted either with fear or awe, both of which were acceptable to the elder Saotome. It didn't effect Genma's life one bit that he turned into a panda when splashed with cold water. If anything, it was a convenient disguise when trouble came around. Ranma, on the other hand...

It didn't matter to Ranma that everyone at Furinkan High with two brain cells to rub together had figured out that the red-haired, pigtailed girl was actually himself. It had taken quite a while for the secret to get out, and even when it had, it was quite clear to everyone that Ranma was not _trying_ to be a girl. Everyone had, luckily, just come to accept it for what it was: a curse. And while not everyone was comfortable with it, Ranma only had to see them when he was at school. It was a whole different story with three guys, three _American_ guys, sharing the same home. The same meals. The same _bath_.

Ranma's eyebrows twitched at the fact that the occupants of the Tendo household walked in on each other in the bath quite often. Ranma factored into these situations, one way or another, more than he cared to think about. It was one thing for a _girl_ to walk in on his female form in the bath. But now, with three strange guys living with them...

Ranma roared at the mere thought of it, lunging forward and smashing his fist through the boulder. It was creepy enough that he had Kuno drooling over him. These guys seemed innocent enough, but he knew how guys thought. Even Daisuke and Hiroshi, the closest thing to guy friends he had, made comments about his cursed form directly to his face. Who even knew how these Americans would react...

Ranma moved away from the rubble he'd created, looking down at his reflection in the koi pond. _You're being stupid, _he thought, _you shouldn't judge these guys like that. People call you a pervert all the time based on bad judgment. Besides, you've managed to keep it a secret so far. You can probably keep it up if you try. What are the odds that..._

"Hey, Ranma!"

Ranma's pigtail stood up on end at the call, and his foot slipped on the rock he'd been standing on. He could feel himself falling toward the water in slow motion. It was inevitable now.

Alex blinked from the doorway of the house as Ranma tumbled into the pond with a splash. The shaggy-haired boy hurried over to the water, wide-eyed. "Hey, Ranma! Are you all right?"

The now-female Ranma popped to the surface, her bright red hair catching Alex completely off guard. The boy took a few steps back, wondering who this girl was and where Ranma had gone. After a moment of sputtering, Ranma climbed slowly from the water. Her cheeks were as red as her hair.

Alex stared for a moment, trying to piece together what had happened in his mind. Ranma had fallen into the water. This girl had come out. She was wearing Ranma's clothes, and kind of looked like him, too. "That means... you're..."

Ranma sighed, crossing her arms. "Yeah, I'm Ranma. And your eyes ain't playin' tricks on you, either..." The girl squeezed her eyes shut. "I turn into a girl."

Alex paused for another moment, motionless. Ranma opened one eye, surprised at the lack of reaction from the American. Either he was completely unfazed, or the concept of Ranma switching genders right in front of him had completely broken the boy's brain. After what seemed like the most awkward eternity, that goofy grin permeated Alex's face.

"Cool!"

Ranma blinked, dumbfounded. That was not the reaction she'd been expecting. "Cool? That's all you have to say?"

Alex gave a shrug. "It's a neat trick... honestly, I didn't expect something like this from you. You seem so..." Alex frowned a bit, considering. "...macho."

Ranma rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, it ain't like I chose it or nothin'. It just kind of happened."

Alex tilted his head. "How?"

Ranma studied the boy for a moment. Out of all three of the Americans, Alex seemed the most innocent. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to let him in on the story. "If I tell you, ya gotta promise not to go blabbin' to the other guys, okay?"

Alex raised his hands. "I swear, I won't tell." He smiled weakly. "Everyone's got secrets, right?"

Ranma hesitated for another moment, before taking a deep breath. "Okay, well, a couple years ago, my Pops took me on this trip to China..."

Mike had wandered the beach for a while now. He hadn't realized when they first arrived just how big it really was. There had to be thousands of people milling around. And here he was, searching for just one girl. A girl that he'd just met less than a week ago. A search that was because of some vision he'd had...

"This is crazy. What am I doing?" Mike stared out over the ocean for a moment, trying to collect himself. He felt like some kind of stalker. Had this girl really gotten that deep into his head? He'd easily spent the last twenty minutes combing over the beach in search of a girl he'd interacted with for maybe twice that long. He rubbed his forehead, considering heading back to the Tendos.

"Hey, you wanna get something to eat?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I hear there's an okonomiyaki stand down the beach. Let's check it out!"

Mike's eyebrows raised at the conversation between two girls behind him. He turned just in time to see the two of them making their way further along the coast. Squinting, he could see a rather large crowd gathered in the direction they were heading. With a bit of a grin, he decided to follow them.

_You only live once, Mike. _He thought to himself. _You'll regret it if you don't at least try..._

Nabiki dragged Don along the boardwalk, oohing and ahhing at some of the things she'd seen. Much to the boy's chagrin, she'd also managed to convince him to purchase some of her favorite things, the bags of which he was now carrying. How any of this had happened, he'd never know. There was just something about Nabiki that made her pretty persuasive. He didn't have much money to spend, but for some reason, he found himself unable to tell her no.

"Ooh, over here!" She tugged him along to another shop, this one with framed photographs in the window. "Maybe you should get your picture taken!"

Don raised his eyebrows. "Why would I want to pay for a picture when I've got a camera of my own?"

"This is _professional_, Don. You'll never look better than in a professional photograph." She flashed him that smile of hers. That persuasive smile. "Who knows, maybe you'll catch yourself a nice little Japanese girlfriend while you're here with a handsome picture, hmm?"

He could feel his resistance breaking, though he wasn't sure why. He wasn't exactly _looking_ for a Japanese girlfriend, but now that she mentioned it... "Well, if you say so. But just one!"

"Fine, one it is!" She tugged him inside and began to negotiate with the photographer, while Don looked at all the framed photos on the walls. He had to admit, they all looked pretty good. A few of them were even autographed, but Don couldn't figure out who any of the supposed celebrities were. After another moment of negotiation, Nabiki grabbed his arm. "Okay, c'mon! He's ready for you."

Nabiki brought Don into the back room, where the camera equipment had been set up. The photographer, a skinny man with large glasses, was flipping through a set of large backdrops that were hanging from the ceiling. Nabiki grinned as he flipped to a very patriotic Stars and Stripes piece. "That's the one!"

Don quirked an eyebrow at the girl. "What's with the Captain America thing?"

"Well, you _are_ American..." She smirked and pointed to a red "x" mark on the floor. "Now, take off your shirt and stand over there."

"Take off my shirt?" Don was beginning to grow skeptical of the whole situation. "Why in the world would I do that?"

"This is the beach! Who wears a shirt at the beach?" She crossed her arms. "Besides, you're an athlete, aren't you? Show off a little! You work hard to stay in shape, you might as well flaunt it!"

Again, Don felt himself unable to make a good enough argument to counter the masterful debate style of Nabiki Tendo. His shirt was deposited onto the floor, revealing the boy's modestly toned physique. Nabiki grinned.

"Atta boy. Now, get those arms up! You're a fighter, aren't you?"

Don grinned and obeyed, swept up into the act. He raised his clenched fists and looked into the camera with a playful menace. With a flash, the image was captured. The photographer nodded in approval, and Don collected his shirt, returning to Nabiki.

"Okay, that _was_ kind of fun." He smirked, and the girl nodded to him in agreement. "So, how much is this going to set me back?"

"Oh, this one's on me, Fournier..." She patted the boy on the shoulder, and he gave her another look of confusion. Nabiki grabbed his arm again. "Now come on, I think it's time to hit the water."

As he was once again dragged along the beach, Don couldn't help but wonder what Nabiki was up to.

The delicious smell of cooking okonomiyaki greeted Mike as he got closer and closer to the crowd. He knew he was in the right place. Moving around the throng, he could see a frantic Ukyo working at the grill. How she was managing to keep up with the orders, he couldn't figure out. _Maybe, _he thought for a moment, _she's not..._

He pushed his way toward the grill, leaving a trail of grumbling and angry food-seekers in his wake. Finally making his way to the front, he gave the girl a wave. "Hey, Ukyo!"

The girl barely glanced up at him, flipping okonomiyaki at a blinding pace. "Mike! What can I get for you?"

He watched her spatulas dance for a moment, completely mesmerized, before shaking his head and bringing himself back to reality. "Actually, I was wondering if you maybe..." He blushed a little. "Well, I thought I'd offer to help you out!"

Ukyo quickly distributed the cooking okonomiyaki onto a few paper plates, pushing them toward the now-satisfied customers. She paused for a moment to look up at the boy, wiping off her forehead. "You know how to make okonomiyaki?"

He shook his head. "Well, no... but I'm willing to do whatever you might need. There's got to be _something_."

Ukyo pondered this for a moment, spreading more oil over the grill as she did. Then she grinned. "Come around to this side, I think I've got it!"

Mike happily followed orders, moving around to face the crowd, which was now growing impatient with the delay. Ukyo hopped up on the counter and shouted over the gathered mob.

"Okay, everyone! Give your orders and your money to the American!" She pointed down at Mike with a smile. "And thanks for coming to Ucchan's!"

Mike's eyebrows raised as the crowd advanced. _Time to see what you're made of, kid._

"And so here I am now. When I get hit with cold water, I turn into a girl." Ranma motioned to herself, as if that fact wasn't painfully obvious. Alex had listened to the entire story with focused attention, completely in awe of how unbelievable it all was. His father had taken him to some pretty amazing places in his lifetime. He'd seen the pyramids in Egypt, the Parthenon in Greece. He'd even been to the Amazon rainforest during a summer trip to Brazil. But as beautiful as these places were, as majestic the sights and the history, they all paled in comparison to Jusenkyo. It was a place of real magic, of real power. It had completely blown his mind.

"Does it hurt?" Alex asked, with wide-eyed curiosity.

Ranma shook her head. "No, it doesn't hurt. It's kinda hard to explain what it feels like, really. It's kinda like goin' down a roller coaster, maybe. Just this quick rush and a weird feelin' in your stomach."

"And hot water turns you back?"

"Until the next splash of cold water..." Ranma frowned. "Or rainstorm or ocean wave or... well, you get the idea. And so far, me an' my Pops haven't found a cure for it, yet."

Ranma had also revealed his father's panda curse, which had surprised Alex even more than Ranma's change. Human to human change was one thing, but human to animal was a whole different story. And then it hit him, and the American started laughing. "Oh! I get it now!"

Ranma quirked an eyebrow. "Uh, what?"

Alex wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh, don't worry about it..." He smiled at the girl again, serenely. "So, you want to go back to China and try to see if there's something at Jusenkyo to reverse it?"

The pigtailed girl nodded at him again. "That's right. But I ain't got any money, so I've always gotta swim when I go to China. And I always run into something that stops me from gettin' there..." She sighed. "It ain't so bad, though. It certainly has its advantages, not that I'd ever want to be a girl full time."

Alex leaned forward. "What else can you tell me about it?"

Ranma thought for a moment. "Well, let's see... it's in the Qinghai province... lots of cursed springs there... no one should _ever_ go there, ever." She shrugged. "I've pretty much told you everything I know about it."

Alex groaned. "I've never heard of it though! I can't believe there's not more information out there about this place."

"It's pretty secluded. A lot of people wouldn't venture out that far, 'cept for natives and stuff." Ranma put her hands behind her back. "I guess if youreally wanted to know more, I know someone you could talk to. But I don't think you want anything to do with her. She's kind of..." She looked up at the sky for a moment. "A cranky old mummy."

Alex grabbed Ranma by the shoulders, catching the martial artist off guard. "Tell me! I just want to know more about this place. It seems..." He blinked. "Well, fascinating. I've been a lot of places, Ranma. But this sounds like one of the coolest."

Ranma's mouth twisted into a frown. "Well, okay. I'll take you to see her tomorrow. But I'm warning you, she's tricky. I don't think you want to get yourself mixed up in Cologne's plans."

Alex laughed, putting his hands in his pockets. "I just want a little information, that's all. What's the worst that can happen?"

Ranma shook her head at Alex's ever present grin. He was clearly in way over his head.

"Here you go!" Ukyo grinned down at two small children, as she handed them their ordered meals. "Enjoy that, okay? And come and see me again soon!"

The kids both offered gap-toothed smiles. "Thanks, Ucchan!" They then ran back toward their parents, giggling all the while.

Ukyo looked over at Mike, who was completely exhausted. "Hey..." She started, and he offered her a weak grin. She smiled back. "Thanks for helping me out today. I really didn't expect there to be so many people at the beach today. I'd probably still have a huge line going if I didn't have the backup."

He waved her off. "Don't mention it, really. Just a friendly gesture from one classmate to another, right?"

"Right!" She smirked, scraping off the grill with a spatula. "Still, it's nice to have someone around here that actually wants to help me out. Most people are either my competition, or they just want something from me..." She sighed, looking over at the American again. "Do you know what I mean?"

Mike laughed. "Not at all. Believe it or not, most high school students in America don't have their own restaurants. It's a character flaw, really."

"Right, right..." She laughed back, looking out over the beach at the setting sun. "Really, though, it was a nice thing to do. It's good to have someone that I can maybe call a friend, for once."

Mike drummed his fingers on the counter of the portable grill. "Yeah, I guess you could call me that, if you want." Despite the accomplishment he was feeling at helping Ukyo, the day still wasn't turning out how he'd expected it to. Something still didn't feel right...

Suddenly, he was snapped out of his introspection by Ukyo's hand on his wrist. He looked over at her with a blush, which was hidden by the color of the sunset. She grinned. "Come on, let me show you something cool."

She led him along the shoreline for a while, the sandy beach eventually giving way to rocky coast. They carefully picked their way over the wet stones, Mike wondering just where they could be going. After a bit of effort, they made their way to the mouth of a cave. Mike raised his eyebrows.

"You're not going to kill me, are you?" He said with a smirk.

She gave him a light shove. "Cut it out and come on. There's nothing to be afraid of. Trust me." She turned and disappeared into the cave. After a hesitant moment, Mike followed her.

The cave sloped downward, deeper than he expected. The light from above began to fade away, to the point where he couldn't see Ukyo anymore. He stopped, feeling his heart rate go up. The air was warm, and he could smell the beach. He could hear footsteps up ahead...

She came back into his view, just barely, and waved him forward. "Come on, we're almost there!" He swore he could hear his heartbeat echoing inside the cave as he followed her a bit further down. There was some sort of light up ahead.

The cave opened up into a large, rounded cavern. The stone walls here flecked with glittering motes, catching what little light filtered down from the surface and seeming to amplify it. Through the rocks, Mike swore he could almost here traffic above. Ukyo turned to face him.

"I come here sometimes when I need to think. I don't think anyone else knows about it." She sat down on a makeshift stone bench, grinning up at him. "There are a lot of things to see in Tokyo, but everyone can say they've seen the Tower, or the lights in Shibuya. You'll be able to say that you saw something no one else has. Consider it my thank you gift..."

Mike looked around the cave in awe, the flecks of light on the walls forming little constellations in his mind. Even if nothing else ever came of his crush on Ukyo, he thought, this would be something he'd never forget.

"...You're welcome."


End file.
